Forget Me Not
by VincentGrimm
Summary: Sephiroth has amnesia after the battle in the North Cave and Cloud Strife, thinking he has lost his friends, takes Sephiroth under his wing to try and bring back the person that was the idol of every young man.
1. Chapter 1

The remnants of the Highwind came crashing down onto the desolate land around the North Crater. Included in the wreckage were two known survivors. Cloud dragged himself onto his feet and looked around. Only smoke and bits of debris surrounded him; there was no sign of his companions. He bent down and lifted his Buster Sword. Cloud gasped and dropped the sword; his shoulder had been impaled by a small cylindrical piece of debris. Cloud reached over and ripped it loose with a sickly sucking sound. Cloud shouted Tifa's name but there was no reply only the howl of wind. Cloud heard someone groan to his left. Cloud whirled around and quickly figured out that the noise had come from beneath a chunk of debris. Cloud ran over and threw off the debris with one hand.

"Wow!" said Cloud and dived for his sword. Sephiroth was laid upon the floor; semi-conscious. Cloud held the Buster Sword in his only decent hand and prodded Sephiroth lightly. He was unarmed but Cloud knew that Sephiroth always had a trick up his sleeve.

"You awake?" asked Cloud letting a hint of emotion slip into his voice. Sephiroth groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What?" he said looking at the dark sky.

"I guess you are" said Cloud darkly and stood up straight and pointed the tip of his sword at Sephiroth's throat. Sephiroth suddenly noticed the sword and scrabbled backwards.

"Please" he said "Don't"

"After what you did" said Cloud "you deserve worse than this"

"What?" said Sephiroth

"You know exactly what I mean" said Cloud.

"Who?" asked Sephiroth

"You" said Cloud

"Me?"

"Yes, you"

"Who're you?" asked Sephiroth who was propped on his elbows in the dirt.

"I'm not interested in a game of silly-beggars" said Cloud.

"What?" asked Sephiroth.

"Are you messing me around, Sephiroth?" Cloud asked angrily as he stepped forwards brandishing the sword.

"Who?" Sephiroth asked his brow creasing

"You?"

"You who?" Sephiroth asked.

"Bloody hell" said Cloud "You Sephiroth! Just because you're being an idiot doesn't mean I'm not going to kill you"

"Sethiroph?" said Sephiroth

"You okay?" asked Cloud lowering his sword absent minded.

"I guess" said Sephiroth. He ran his fingers through his hair then looked at his bloody hand.

"You're injured" said Cloud dropping his sword and walking over to Sephiroth.

"So are you" said Sephiroth pointing to blood dripping off Cloud's elbow.

"I'll live" said Cloud

"Could you help me up, whoever you are" asked Sephiroth. Suddenly Cloud noticed that he had dropped his sword. When he looked at Sephiroth he saw no bloodlust, anger only confusion in the young man's eyes.

"Do you know where you are?" asked Cloud. Sephiroth looked around

"Hell?" he guessed.

"What's the last thing you remember?" asked Cloud. Sephiroth's brow creased as he dove into his memories. Suddenly Cloud saw tears gather in the eyes of Sephiroth.

"Nothing" said Sephiroth choked. Sephiroth hung his head and wiped away his tears "Everything is a blur"

"Come on" said Cloud helping Sephiroth to his feet.

"Where are going?" asked Sephiroth.

"Shin-Ra Mansion, it's one of the only places where you'll get some peace" said Cloud. As the two of them walked whilst trying to hold the other up Cloud's thoughts began to wander. The main thing that Cloud was wondering was if he would be able to make Sephiroth a different person; a person who wouldn't go insane and try and destroy the planet.

They managed to bargain their way onto a ship which was going to the continent where Nibelheim was situated. On the ship Cloud was teaching Sephiroth how to say his own name.

"Sephiroth" said Sephiroth.

"There we go" said Cloud "That's you name"

"What does it mean?" asked Sephiroth who was sat on an upturned crate. Cloud shrugged

"I never asked you" said Cloud. Cloud picked up his buster sword and examined the blade.

"What happened to that?" Sephiroth asked Cloud. Cloud was now caught; he couldn't tell Sephiroth that the massive indents in his sword were from duelling with Sephiroth.

"I had a battle with someone" said Cloud "Which is why the Northern Crater was so destroyed"

"Northern Crater?" Sephiroth asked.

"Oh" said Cloud "The area we walked away from"

"Oh okay" said Sephiroth "What was I doing there?"

"You were helping me" said Cloud quickly

"Okay" said Sephiroth "Glad to see we were on the same side"

The ship continued on its course until they landed for an hour near the Nibelheim area.

"Put this on" said Cloud passing a grey-box cover to Sephiroth.

"Why?" asked Sephiroth who used it as a robe and covered his head.

"I can't explain it at the moment" said Cloud "But it will be safer for us"

"Alright then" said Sephiroth "You know best"

The two of them disembarked at the coast and made their way across the grassland until they reached Nibelheim. By now darkness had completely fallen and the town was eerily quiet. Cloud went ahead and made sure that there was no-one was watching.

"Come on" he said and Sephiroth came shuffling across the square until he reached the gates to the Mansion.

"Come on in" said Cloud pushing the door open.


	2. Chapter 2

When Cloud awoke he got to his feet and checked the second bedroom. He pushed the door open lightly and saw that Sephiroth was in a deep sleep. Cloud closed the door silently and went down the stairs into the kitchen. There was no tea or anything to eat and so he was stuck with drinking the tap water; which in fact took three minutes of constant running to turn clear. Cloud rinsed out an incredibly dusty glass and filled it with water. Cloud walked back into the hall holding the glass. Cloud wondered if Tifa and the others had managed to get off the north continent. His train of thought was interrupted as he spotted a movement in the reflection of his glass. Cloud turned around and started; it was Sephiroth.

"Jesus" Cloud said "You lost your memory only hours ago and already you've got your sneakiness back"

"Sorry" said Sephiroth "Did I used to be sneaky?" Cloud rolled his eyes and his expression told Sephiroth that what he was remembering was a time he'd rather forget.

"Sneaky was no where near what you were" said Cloud "You used to pop up everywhere" he said then laughed lightly "Even in a well lit room you'd pop up and frighten the living daylights out of everyone without even trying"

"My apologies" said Sephiroth

"Well you had never tried to sneak up on any of us" said Cloud "You just always managed it"

"So what did we do for a living?" asked Sephiroth. Cloud was hoping that Sephiroth would not have asked that for a while.

"We worked for a force called Soldier" said Cloud

"Force?" asked Sephiroth

"Military" said Cloud "Of sorts, we were the special forces of Shin-Ra incorporated" Sephiroth remained silent at this piece of information.

"We were in the military?" said Sephiroth

"At a stretch" said Cloud "You could say that we were the cover for Shin-Ra"

"Can you explain?" Sephiroth asked.

"Let's get seated first" said Cloud and indicated for Sephiroth to go to the dining room. The two of them sat down on two of the chairs in the dining room.

"So explain about Soldier" said Sephiroth.

"It starts at fourth class; count backwards and you get all the classes" said Cloud.

"So from worst to best?" said Sephiroth.

"No" said Cloud "More like from best to the better, to join Soldier you had to pass a very difficult training regime" Cloud placed his glass upon a table "There is Soldier fifth class but that's just the typical Soldiers; when you got promoted in Soldier you merely went up a class"

"Merely?" Sephiroth asked

"True" Cloud said "Merely is no way to describe it, it can take almost four-years to get promoted from fifth to fourth class and the time increases as you go up each class"

"What rank did you get to?" Sephiroth asked.

"Soldier 1st class" said Cloud

"And me?" Sephiroth asked

"Leader of Soldier 1st class" said Cloud. Sephiroth sat back when he heard this

"So I guess I was there for a long time?" Sephiroth said

"You were there for a grand total of seven years" said Cloud "You rose through the ranks faster and faster each year, by the time you were in Soldier 1st class you were the quickest person to get there then you became the figure head for Soldier; you were every young boy's hero"

"What does Soldier actually do?" asked Sephiroth "You said that they were a cover"

"For the Turk's" said Cloud "A criminal organisation that works for Shin-Ra, of course Shin-Ra say that they are a government organisation but they do some very dirty work"

"So how are Soldier a cover?" asked Sephiroth

"The Turks do some very dirty work but if there is a disaster Shin-Ra dispatch hundreds of soldiers to 'help out' the people" said Cloud "Make people forget that in the background you have the Turks who literally beat people into line with Shin-Ra"

"So that they look good for the public?" Sephiroth questioned. Cloud nodded

"Shin-Ra look good in the eyes of the rich but it's the poor who see what Shin-Ra really are" said Cloud.

"What about my parents?" Sephiroth asked suddenly. Cloud decided that if he just came clean and did not hide anything about Sephiroth's childhood then maybe he would not go insane and try to destroy the planet, again.

"You're actual parents were Vincent Valentine and Lucrecia" said Cloud "Lucrecia was a woman who worked as a scientist for Shin-Ra and Vincent was a Turk" Sephiroth seemed to turn cold when he heard that Vincent was a Turk. Cloud suddenly noticed that saying Vincent was a Turk was not the best idea seeing as Cloud had just been telling Sephiroth how bad the Turks were.

"He used to be a Turk" said Cloud quickly "But he was one of the only decent Turks, he was a nice guy"

"So what happened?" Sephiroth asked.

"Well I'm not going to explain to you exactly how they created you" said Cloud with a short laugh "I'll get you a book about how children are made" Sephiroth laughed

"No need" said Sephiroth "I don't have any memories but I do still remember facts and figures and things like that"

"Glad" said Cloud "Because I would not want to try and explain sex to you, it would just be uncomfortable" Sephiroth and Cloud both laughed.

"Cloud, I can't help but notice you used the words 'actual parents'" said Sephiroth "What else happened when I was a child?"

"Hojo" said Cloud slamming his hand against the table startling Sephiroth "When you were still in the womb he injected you with Jenova's cells"

"Jenova?" Sephiroth said

"Jenova was apparently a Cetra but I believe that she came to earth to war with the Cetra; she certainly had the power" said Cloud "And from the carvings in the temple of the ancients I believe that she summoned Meteor and killed off the Cetra, which is why we have North Cave"

"So Jenova is a powerful alien?" Sephiroth guessed.

"We never knew what she was" said Cloud "But she was sure powerful, her cells were injected into you which gives you such tremendous power"

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked

"You can fly!" said Cloud with a smile.

"Really?" Sephiroth asked

"Yeah" said Cloud "You're the only human who can, but let's not try it just yet"

"What happened to Hojo?" asked Sephiroth. _Time to bend the truth a little_ thought Cloud.

"He tried to kill you with the Sister-Ray, a giant cannon" said Cloud "But my friends and I killed him before he could kill you"

"Thanks" said Sephiroth "So what other parts does Hojo play in my life?"

"He stole you when you were born and injected Lucrecia and Vincent with Jenova cells but they had bad effects"

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked

"Vincent's power turns him into a beast when he gets angry" said Cloud "And I have only met Lucrecia once so I don't know what it has done to her, when you have got your memory back I will take you to see her, I'm sure she will be happy to see you after all of these years"

"I would like that" said Sephiroth.

"So any more questions before I disappear off to my room?" Cloud asked

"No" said Sephiroth.

"Then goodnight" said Cloud getting to his feet and leaving Sephiroth to sit there and ponder the new information he had.


	3. Chapter 3

Tifa awoke half buried in dirt and ash. At first she could not remember what had happened but then it all came rushing back to her. Tifa scrabbled back onto her feet and looked around at the devastation. Barrett and the others came running over to her

"Tifa!" said Barrett "Are you okay?"

"I guess" said Tifa brushing herself down. Looking at the crowd there were two figures missing.

"Where are Cloud and Vincent?" Tifa asked.

"Vincent is out looking" said Barrett looking down at the floor

"And Cloud?" Tifa asked raising her hand to her mouth suddenly feeling dread creep up her spine. Barrett shook his head. A clang made them all look up at a large part of wreckage. Vincent was situated atop it.

"Anything?" Cid shouted up. Vincent nodded

"Yes" he said and dropped an item wrapped in cloth. Tifa quickly dropped to her knees and unwrapped it. Tifa actually screamed and threw herself back from the black sheet. Barrett and the others stepped back as though the item was cursed. It was the Masamune. A bloody handprint was on the handle, a long slender handprint that belonged to Sephiroth. Blood splatters also danced along the blade like some foreboding painting.

"Where was it buried?" asked Nanaki. Vincent dropped and wrapped up the weapon

"It wasn't" said Vincent "I found it lying on the ground as clear as day"

"Was there any sign of Cloud?" asked Tifa. Vincent continued to look at the sheet

"No" he said shaking his head "But there were footprints in the dirt"

"Then we should follow them!" said Tifa

"What if it's Sephiroth?" Yuffie asked

"Without Cloud I 'ave to say we're doomed" said Barrett.

"But what if it's Cloud?" Tifa asked "Then we know for a fact that Sephiroth is dead, this weapon should prove that! Sephiroth would never leave it!"

"What if he dragged Cloud away?" Vincent asked "He couldn't carry it then could he?" A slap rang out as Tifa struck Vincent

"He's not dead!" Tifa said angrily before storming away. Vincent watched as she departed _a fiery soul if I ever saw one_ Vincent thought with the smallest hints of a smile below his cloak.

Tifa had only gone thirty or so sets when she fell to her knees out of exhaustion; the final battle had really taken it out of her. _Oh Cloud, where are you?_ Tifa thought as she looked up at the grey sky.

Vincent had gone back to the footprints with Nanaki. Vincent crouched and examined the marks while Nanaki went around sniffing looking for some sort of trace.

"Anything?" Nanaki asked.

"Same footprints as" Vincent slowly trailed off. Nanaki came bounding over and looked at the same area that Vincent was looking. Vincent crawled on all fours following the single set of footsteps to a large area that had been squashed flat. Nanaki went further ahead.

"This doesn't look good" said Nanaki

"Someone was lying here" said Vincent who then crawled further forwards to see two pairs of footprints.

"Two people left here together" said Nanaki "Sephiroth and Cloud" He added as he got their scents.

"Why would Cloud walk with Sephiroth?" Vincent asked.

"Maybe Sephiroth escaped and Cloud pursued him to finish the work" said Nanaki

"Let us hope that is the case" said Vincent.

"It sounds the most likely" said Nanaki "Cloud and Sephiroth hated each other"

"Unless something changed" said Vincent. Nanaki looked up at Vincent as he sat down in the dirt

"Like what?" Nanaki asked as he walked over to sit by Vincent.

"I do not know" said Vincent "Maybe after the battle Sephiroth surrendered, after all Cloud did defeat him"

"So Cloud and Sephiroth are on the same side?" Nanaki guessed

"I doubt it" said Vincent "Sephiroth does not seem like the type of person to submit"

"What do we tell them?" Nanaki asked nodding towards Cid and the others who were coming over. Barrett was carrying Tifa who had passed out in the dirt.

"We have a trail" Vincent said "It's not a very strong one but two people definitely went this way, one after the other it seems"

"Then let's follow it" said Barrett. Vincent jumped back onto his feet and Nanaki stood up. The two trackers went on ahead while the others followed silently.

"What if we find Sephiroth and Cloud together?" Nanaki whispered

"We'll have to see what Cloud decides" said Vincent.


	4. Chapter 4

Cloud awoke to the sweet sound of piano music. At first he just lay there and listened before his mind clicked to the thought _who's playing?_ Cloud rolled off his bed and retrieved his Buster Sword from beneath the bed. Cloud snuck silently through the manor until he reached the dining room door. When he got there he paused and listened; the playing had stopped and now he could hear a low squeaking. Cloud shunted the door hard and rolled inside, sword raised. Sephiroth was stood leaning over the piano tuning it.

"Morning" said Sephiroth looking a bit confused "Sorry if I woke you" Cloud put the sword against the cabinet

"I was just wondering who was playing" said Cloud.

"Apparently I can play the piano" said Sephiroth "And read sheet music"

"So what are you doing?" Cloud asked walking over

"Tuning the piano" said Sephiroth "When I do things like this I get some fresh memories of me doing this in the past"

"That's good" said Cloud

"I know" said Sephiroth with a smile as he finished tuning the piano. Sephiroth closed it and sat down and began to play.

Cloud took a seat and watched as his childhood idol played incredibly well, Cloud had never pictured Sephiroth as a musician. With Sephiroth finding things out again and telling Cloud he was finding out more about Sephiroth than he had known in the past. Cloud enjoyed the company of this new Sephiroth; it was almost relaxing just having him around.

When Sephiroth finished the seven minute piece Cloud applauded

"I had never known that you played" said Cloud.

"A couple of hours ago neither did I" said Sephiroth with a smile. Cloud nodded

"Touché" said Cloud clicking his fingers.

"What's that mean?" Sephiroth asked him

"I _think_ it means good point" said Cloud "If it doesn't then I've been making an idiot out of myself every time I use it" Sephiroth and Cloud both laughed.

"So what are we up to today?" Sephiroth asked

"I haven't thought about it" said Cloud

"Could we go up there?" Sephiroth asked pointing out of the misted up windows at the mountains.

"Of course" said Cloud "It's a nice place"

"Can we go now?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud checked the clock which Sephiroth had fixed _5:17_ it said.

"Sure" said Cloud "The sun's only just coming up so it will be a bit cold, but we're tough" Sephiroth and Cloud both laughed. Cloud used the bathroom and picked up his Buster Sword before leaving the Mansion with Sephiroth.

Sephiroth rolled over the wall and landed on his back

"Argh" he said with a laugh. Cloud vaulted the wall and landed on his hands before rolling onto his feet.

"Ta-da" said Cloud. Sephiroth rolled backwards onto his feet

"Was ever any good at gymnastics?" Sephiroth asked as the two of them walked between the mountains on the path that would lead them to mount Nibel.

"Probably" said Cloud "You were a _very_ good martial artist"

"How good?" Sephiroth asked

"Impossibly" said Cloud "But no one really saw you use your martial arts, no enemy every got close enough"

"Can you explain?" asked Sephiroth

"We have a long walk so sure" said Cloud "You had a sword called the Masamune, it was a beautiful weapon, no one knows where you got it"

"Was it like yours?" Sephiroth asked

"No" said Cloud "It must have been around four and a half feet long, thin and curved"

"What happened to it?" Sephiroth asked

"When I found you it wasn't there so maybe you lost it in the aftermath of the battle" said Cloud.

"I seem to remember a lot of green light" said Sephiroth.

"That was the Lifestream, the energy of our planet" said Cloud "There was a big rush of it after the battle because of the meteor"

"Meteor?" Sephiroth asked

"A powerful magic that was going to destroy the planet" said Cloud "But it's gone now, it would have been about there" Cloud pointed to the sky wondering where the meteor had gone, when he first awoke he had glimpsed it hovering above them like a new moon.

"Is that what we were fighting?" Sephiroth asked

"We were fighting a person who was protecting it" said Cloud "The summoner"

"Right" Sephiroth said "I don't really know much about the battle"

"Another time" said Cloud "When it's more appropriate, when you've got most of your memories back I'll tell you about it"

"Thank you, loud" said Sephiroth

"For what?" Cloud asked

"Doing this, helping me out" said Sephiroth "Most people wouldn't have done it"

"Well I'm glad we've got the old you back" said Cloud absent mindedly. Sephiroth stopped in his tracks

"Old me?" he asked looking at the back of Cloud's blonde head. _Idiot!_ Cloud thought to himself.

"Yeah" said Cloud turning to face Sephiroth "You went a bit off the rails before the last battle when you found out about Jenova and Hojo but now you're back to the you that people look up to"

"Oh" said Sephiroth with a smile "Glad to hear that" he said and continued to walk with Cloud towards Mt. Nibel.


	5. Chapter 5

Tifa and the others were sat on a small boat that was travelling from the Bone Village to Rocket Town. Barret had managed to get them a ride, no one questioned how.

"So what do you think?" Tifa asked looking at Vincent who was staring into the murky black water with almost a threatening look on his face.

"I think we should go to Nibelheim" said Vincent quietly. Tifa walked over to the edge of the boat and stood next to the tall, dark individual with crimson eyes. Tifa admired his quietness, sometimes, but then she would wish that he would open up, just for a minute; just enough to get something off his chest and to lighten the burden that weighed down his broad shoulders.

"Why?" Tifa asked following his gaze that rested upon the ocean.

"Because it is where Sephiroth or Cloud would go" said Vincent "Where else could you find reconciliation on this godforsaken rock?"

"What has Cloud got to reconcile for?" Tifa asked looking at the side of Vincent's head; she was too short to see his eyes past his dark hair from the side.

"Giving Sephiroth the black materia, the deaths that have been caused because he gave the materia to Sephiroth" said Vincent.

"That wasn't his fault" said Tifa.

"Why not?" Vincent asked as he scratched his hair absent mindedly.

"He was under Sephiroth's control" said Tifa

"Ah yes" said Vincent "Of course Sephiroth's powerful mind control that no-one has really ever witnessed"

"I have" said Tifa quickly

"Really?" Vincent asked raising a slender eyebrow "And when was this?"

"When we were in our first Avalanche mission together!" said Tifa

"Maybe it was a reaction between the Mako molecules in his bloodstream from the Mako-shower and coming into contact with a large reactor filled with the same substance so long after the shower" said Vincent.

"You just made that up!" said Tifa

"Yes I did" admitted Vincent "But don't be too surprised if we go to Nibelheim and find Sephiroth and Cloud together"

"What are you saying?" Tifa asked

"Nothing" said Vincent "Except that Cloud hero-worshipped Sephiroth and if Sephiroth's alive and all Cloud's friends are dead…what else is there to do?"

"Cloud wouldn't think like that!" said Tifa "I know him, he would never _ever_ side with Sephiroth after what has happened! He'll prove you wrong, Vincent, you just wait!" after those words Tifa stormed off and disappeared down a flight of stairs that led into the galley of the boat.

"Do ya really think Cloud would go to _his _side?" Cid asked as he sat listening from the seat at the front of the boat.

"What other explanation is there for the tracks?" Vincent asked

"Maybe Sephiroth followed Cloud or the other way around" said Cid

"Those tracks were identically eroded" said Vincent "They were made at the same time"

"But you said!" Cid said sitting forwards

"What people wanted to hear" said Vincent "If Cloud and Sephiroth are together…god help us"

"You can't possibly think that" said Cid "Cloud is too smart to side with"

"His hero?" Vincent questioned "Is he really _that _smart? I have never seen anything that would reinforce a statement like that"

"So you don't trust, Cloud?" Cid questioned

"I would trust him with my life" said Vincent

"So why are you questioning him?" Cid asked

"I said I _would_ trust him with my life" said Vincent "Things change"

"I think you're out of line" said Barret who had just come up from the galley after talking to Tifa.

"Do you now?" Vincent said with a slight yawn.

"Ye I do" said Barret stomping over "Cloud risked his life to defeat Sephiroth and he lost a friend, we all did, so why would he possibly go over to Sephiroth's side?"

"You can ask him that when he's killing Tifa before your eyes" said Vincent squaring up to Barret. Barret was by far the taller and more imposing male but the fact that people knew near nothing about the robed warrior gave Vincent just enough of an edge to stand up to Barret.

"Do ya really think he would do that?" Barret said

"I would bet my life upon the fact" said Vincent "No one knows what to expect in Nibelheim, I'm just telling you to be wary"

"I never pictured you as the traitorous kind Vincent" said Cid "But turning on Cloud when we don't know anything about what's going on; that's just down right cowardly"

"It truly is amazing that when a man waves his hands and puts on a big display everyone just falls into line; no questions" said Vincent "If anyone is cowardly then it is you lot; too scared to stand up to Cloud's memory"

"He is not a memory" said Tifa who had come back up "He's alive and well"

"He can't be that well if he's on Sephiroth's side" said Vincent "Let us see if he is as mentally sound as you all believe when or _if _we find him"

All the others went downstairs away from Vincent who was, again, alone on the deck of the boat. Spray was spat up by the boat as it powered through the waters towards the continent. The freezing spray dashed Vincent's skin but the freezing droplets did not even register on his senses. _Maybe I really am dead inside, just as I once thought, maybe I should side with Cloud Strife_ thought Vincent _No! He is with Sephiroth, that cannot be forgiven_. Vincent continued to eye the waves as they parted and sent up fresh sprays of surf.


	6. Chapter 6

"What a view!" Sephiroth said as they stood near the bridge that connected the mountain range to Mount Nibel.

"It is pretty good" said Cloud who was stood at Sephiroth's side.

"Did you ever come here when you were younger?" Sephiroth asked

"Yes" said Cloud "Nibelheim is my home town, didn't I ever tell you?"

"Can't remember" said Sephiroth "So did you come up here often?"

"Just the once" said Cloud remembering what happened to Tifa and himself when they first came up here.

"Come on then" said Sephiroth who had begun to walk across the wire bridge. When the bridge had been remade they had decided to make it out of wire as it was more durable. Cloud double timed to keep up with Sephiroth who took long strides.

"So what's to look at on this mountain?" Sephiroth asked

"Shin-Ra reactor and some nice caves" said Cloud

"Both sound boring" said Sephiroth with a laugh

"Well you wanted to come up here" said Cloud "So you're seeing the sights mister" Sephiroth and Cloud both laughed as they reached the end of the bridge and continued into the mountain.

They emerged in a large cavern where Cloud and his friends had defeated the Materia Keeper.

"It is actually quite nice" said Sephiroth "But what's with all the pipes?"

"For the reactor" said Cloud "Funnels the planets energy through there"

"Interesting" said Sephiroth "Maybe one day you can tell me how they work"

"Even I don't know that" said Cloud "When you get your memory back you can tell me"

"What's over there?" Sephiroth asked and pointed towards the area where the Materia Keeper had been.

"Caves" said Cloud

"Then let's go have a look" said Sephiroth and dropped off the cliff edge, ignoring the ladder completely. Cloud did the same and seconds later the two of them were stood at the bottom and walking towards the cave area.

"When are you going to teach me how to fight?" Sephiroth asked as they continued through the caves

"Hopefully I won't" said Cloud "Maybe you'll just remember, then there's less of a chance of me getting blown up by accident" Sephiroth smiled and looked back

"Am I really that bad?" Sephiroth asked

"Not bad" said Cloud "Just powerful"

The two of them continued their stroll through the caves until they reached the materia fountain.

"Wow" said Sephiroth when he spotted its unearthly glow which glittered on each and every wall.

"Yep" said Cloud "We found this place by accident, when we came to Mount Nibel on work"

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked

"You don't remember?" said Cloud

"No" said Sephiroth "No memories have surfaced"

"Well it's the planets energy that's sort of come out here, I don't really know how to explain it; you explained it to me once but I can't remember" said Cloud.

"You're a bad pupil" said Sephiroth before laughing. Cloud laughed also and then turned back to watch the fountain which continued to glitter beautifully.

"I think we should get back to the mansion" said Cloud "I'm starting to get hungry"

"We haven't been out that long" said Sephiroth. Cloud checked his watch then laughed

"We've been out for over two hours" said Cloud

"Really?" said Sephiroth "It didn't feel like that"

"Well I still think we should get back" said Cloud

"I guess you are right" said Sephiroth and the two of them began to walk back to the mansion.


	7. Chapter 7

The large boat pulled up near the shore letting Tifa and the others jump from the boat onto the shore. The driver waved at them and Tifa waved back. With a spluttering roar the boat sped back into the open ocean. Tifa and the others began to walk across the plains towards Nibelheim. Vincent walked ahead of them as he did not feel like arguing. Many of them had come together in order to argue with Vincent but Vincent stuck with his guns and continued to state that maybe Cloud was working with Sephiroth.

"Where are we going to stay in Nibelheim?" Yuffie asked no one in particular.

"My old home probably" said Tifa "The mansion is a bit too creepy"

"Yeah" said Cid but did not follow up with any facts or statements. Above them the sun was beating down and the air was uncomfortably dry.

"Strange weather" Barret commented

"It might be something to do with meteor and the Lifestream" said Nanaki

"How much do you know about the planet Nanaki?" Yuffie asked

"I was taught well by Grandfather" said Nanaki.

"So a lot" said Yuffie

"Yes" said Nanaki.

"Ain't you hot under there?" Barret asked Vincent. Vincent merely shook his head without looking back.

"I can't believe he's against Cloud" said Barret to Tifa

"It doesn't matter" said Tifa "It's how he feels and he'll be proved wrong anyway"

"What are you going to do when we find Cloud without Sephiroth?" Barret asked Vincent "I doubt you'll stay after you insisted that Cloud's sided with him"

"I'm going to do what I was going to do anyway" said Vincent

"Which is what?" Tifa asked

"Go back into hiding" said Vincent "I just have to make sure that Cloud and Sephiroth aren't on the same side"

"They're not!" Tifa shouted

"We'll see" said Vincent.

The party of people entered the town but found it deserted.

"Where is everyone?" Nanaki asked Tifa

"They must be in bed" said Tifa "It's still quite early"

"Okay then" said Nanaki.

"Where the hell are you goin'?" Barret shouted at Vincent who was walking away.

"To the mansion of course" said Vincent

"Come back, Vincent" said Nanaki "We will all go in there together later" Vincent looked at the mansion then walked back to the party of people.

"Alright" he said "Lead on Tifa"

Tifa led them all to her old house which was empty. Tifa showed them around the house and then she went to her bed and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Cloud heard Barret's voice outside and he got to his feet and ran to the window. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Vincent and the others but, most importantly, Tifa. Tifa seemed to be in a mood about something. Cloud wanted to run outside and hug her so tightly but he was unsure of what his friends would do if they found out that Cloud was hiding Sephiroth.

"I feel strange" said Sephiroth who had just come down the stairs.

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked

"I feel somewhat ill" said Sephiroth sitting down on the stairs. Cloud looked back out of the window and saw that Vincent was carrying something very long in a black cloth. Cloud had no doubt that it was the Masamune and that it was psychically calling out to its master.

"I think I know what's causing it" said Cloud

"What?" Sephiroth asked

"Your old sword" said Cloud "My old friends, the people who helped defeat you in battle, have your sword"

"Are they here?" Sephiroth asked as he paled.

"They have gone over to a friend's house" said Cloud

"What are you going to do?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud closed his eyes and thought about what he was going to do.

"You need me at the moment" Cloud decided "If they come here I'll tell them what's happened with you"

"But they hate me" said Sephiroth.

"I hated you when I found you, remember?" said Cloud "If I can forgive you then I hope they will too"

"If they don't?" Sephiroth asked

"I don't know" said Cloud who walked over and sat by Sephiroth "We'll have to just deal"

"Okay then" said Sephiroth "This world just got very complicated" he added as he put his head in his hands.

"Don't I know it" said Cloud

"Don't you think you should go be with them?" Sephiroth asked "Wouldn't it be better if you went over there now and told them first?"

"I don't know" said Cloud "Do you think I should?"

"I think you should" said Sephiroth "It would probably be difficult but at least you've told them"

Cloud mulled it over then got to his feet.

"Alright then I'm going" said Cloud.

Vincent sighed as he got a glass of water; going back to sleep after he had actually made friends would be difficult. He looked up and his heart almost stopped in surprise.

"Hey!" he shouted at the empty room "It's Cloud!"

Barret and the others came running down the stairs and looked through the window at Cloud who was now walking down the path. Barret pulled open the door before Cloud had even got to it.

"Hey!" said Barret "How did ya get here?"

"We need to talk" said Cloud walking into the house and walking into the kitchen.

"Where have you been?" Nanaki asked him

"In the Mansion" said Cloud.

"Why did you leave the Northern Crater?" Vincent asked putting down the glass and lifting up the black cloth.

"Cloud!" Tifa said as she came down the stairs. Tears welled up in her eyes and she ran and hugged Cloud. Cloud could not bring himself to hug her back, not until he told her about Sephiroth.

"Well?" Vincent asked "Why did you leave the Northern Crater?"

"Don't start Vincent" said Tifa turning to face him "He's not working wit Sephiroth"

Cloud hung his head and the room went silent. Tifa turned around to face him

"You're not working with Sephiroth, are you?" Tifa asked him

"You don't understand" said Cloud "When I found him" Tifa stepped away from him as though he was plagued.

"No" she said stepping back again.

"Just listen" said Cloud "Please just listen to me" Everyone in the room seemed to be eyeing him suspiciously.

"I am listening" said Nanaki who was sat in the entrance of the room.

"Maybe you should come see" said Cloud to Nanaki "You're the smartest of us, maybe you'll know how to help"

"As you wish, Cloud" said Nanaki standing up "But I'm only coming with you because I have trusted you in the past and are willing to give you the benefit of a doubt"

Cloud walked with Nanaki to the door.

"Wait" Cloud said turning around "Vincent, give me the Masamune"

"You want to give him back his weapon?" said Nanaki surprised

"Being without it is making him physically ill" said Cloud "It's psychic after all" Vincent threw the weapon to Cloud who caught it.

"Be careful, Nanaki" said Tifa who turned and walked away.

Nanaki and Cloud crossed the square in silence until they reached the door of the mansion.

"You sure you want this?" Cloud asked Nanaki who thought about it before nodding.


	9. Chapter 9

Cloud pushed the door open lightly and stepped into the large hall. The sunlight that was coming through the glass dome in large shafts gave the hall many shadowy corners.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud called out into the darkness. Nanaki was unsure of what to expect and so he prepared himself for just about anything. Sephiroth appeared at the top of the stairs, apparently he had been hiding at the top of the stairs just out of sight, waiting until Cloud told him it was okay to come out.

"How did it go?" Sephiroth asked. His eyes were on Nanaki who was watching him curiously.

"I don't see anything wrong" said Nanaki. Sephiroth stepped backwards and tripped over the top step.

"I do" said Sephiroth "You're talking!"

"Ah" said Nanaki "Now there's a mistake"

"He's got amnesia or something" said Cloud "He doesn't remember anything"

"Anything?" Nanaki asked looking at Cloud

"Well I have been filling him in on some things and he has got some memories" said Cloud

"Is that why you brought the Masamune?" Nanaki asked him.

"Yes" Cloud said "He gets memories from items he has seen in the past"

"Are you sure that these are the memories he wants?" Nanaki asked "After all no good memories can come from the sword"

"Maybe not" said Cloud "But we have to find out"

"You have to find out" said Nanaki "I am going to remain here while you give it to him"

"Okay then" said Cloud. Sephiroth came down the stairs to see what Cloud had.

"This is the sword, Sephiroth" said Cloud "It's called the Masamune and it belongs to you"

Sephiroth said nothing; he was very nervous. After everything Cloud had told him did he really want this weapon? Cloud unwrapped the sword and held it out. Sephiroth looked at the sword that Cloud was holding out. It glittered unnaturally and seemed to be calling him. With one hand Sephiroth took it. Holding it felt natural, as though he was born to do it. Suddenly Sephiroth was swamped with memories. He stumbled backwards against the staircase gasping for breath.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud said running forwards but Sephiroth threw out his hand

"Don't" he said "I need to go to my room and think about this" he said. Cloud and Nanaki watched as Sephiroth stumbled up the stairs and into his room.

"That went well" said Nanaki "At least he did not go insane and kill us"

"True" said Cloud "But who knows what he's feeling? I think Vincent should come and talk to him"

"I don't think he will" said Nanaki

"We need to have him talk to Sephiroth, Vincent knows how to deal with guilt" said Cloud

"Sephiroth could end up living in a box in your basement, Cloud" said Nanaki

"Hopefully not" said Cloud "After all he is a good person"

"Is he?" Nanaki asked

"Yes" said Cloud "Since he lost his memory he has been telling jokes, cooking food, tuning piano's and enjoying life"

"But now he's got all of his old memories back" said Nanaki "Will he still be the same man you have been living with?"

Cloud and Nanaki both looked up at the landing near where Sephiroth's room was.

Sephiroth was sat on his bed contemplating all this new information. The masamune was on his desk and it still glittered unnaturally even in the darkness. Sephiroth had closed his curtains as he wanted to remain in darkness to think about all the stuff he newly remembered. _All that pain, all that death I have caused_ Sephiroth thought. Sephiroth remembered Vincent, Lucrecia, Jenova and Hojo as clearly as day. He remembered Aeris, Cloud, Tifa and all the others that had fought against him. He remembered being in the Temple of the Ancients, he remembered killing Tseng, he remembered taking the black materia and regenerating this original body.

Cloud and Nanaki were sat outside of the mansion. Cloud could not remain inside, the mansion now felt on fire as Sephiroth was back. Cloud kept on looking over at Tifa's house hoping that she would forgive him but he did not know where to start on his explanation. Cloud sat up as Tifa left her old house for air but she did not stay outside for long, only a minute or so and then she walked back into the house. Cloud sighed and lay down on the floor.

"You should go and speak to her" said Nanaki who was looking up at the mansion.

"And say what?" Cloud asked

"Tell her the truth, about why you helped Sephiroth" said Nanaki "What's the worst she could do?"

"Pummel me into oblivion" said Cloud

"She wouldn't do that to you, Cloud" said Nanaki "If you need me to back up your story about Sephiroth, from what I know, I will"

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Cloud asked "After all you are older than me so your opinion means a lot"

"I think that if you two love each other then you'll be fine, it might take some work but every relationship does" said Nanaki looking at Cloud "So go over to her" Cloud got to his feet and walked out of the Mansion grounds towards Tifa's house followed by Nanaki who was waving his tail as he walked.

Cloud knocked lightly on the door and Barret answered

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here Cloud" said Barret "So just leave" Barret then closed the door without letting Cloud say a word. Cloud banged on the door hard with his fist. Again the door opened and Barret looked a tad flushed, apparently he wanted to shout at Cloud for banging on the door but he knew Cloud was in no mood to be shouted at.

"She doesn't want to talk to you" said Barret "Just leave" he slammed the door again

"I want to hear it from her!" Cloud shouted at the door "You've got five seconds Barret" Cloud began to count backwards from five slowly; it was a trick he had picked up in Soldier, counting slowly increased the anticipation for an action and many would chicken out before zero. Cloud reached one and paused, nothing happened. Cloud said zero loudly and raised his foot. Again there was not movement from the door.

Cid, Vincent, Yuffie and Barret heard Cloud say the word zero nice and loud. Three of them watched the door while Barret waited by its side. Barret and the others started as the door exploded inwards; its hinges sent flying as Cloud kicked the door in. Cid and Yuffie jumped aside as the door crashed into the table, Vincent merely watched as it flew past.

Cloud stepped neatly into the room and instantly had Barret blocking his path.

"Leave, Cloud" said Barret. Cloud completely ignored the man in front of him and turned to face Vincent who was as calm as ever.

"Vincent, could you _please _go speak to Sephiroth?" Cloud asked "He needs someone at hi side, someone who knows what he is going through"

"I am only responsible for a single death and that is Lucrecia's" said Vincent "Sephiroth must take responsibility for the people he killed; I no longer will"

"Then go help him through the pain" said Cloud "He knows that you are his father, he will listen to you"

"What else does he know?" Vincent asked

"I told him about what I knew of his life, that he was an experiment and what happened to Lucrecia, all he needed was someone there when he was told, I haven't hidden anything from him if I did then maybe he would have gone insane if he found out I had hidden anything from him" said Cloud

"Interesting idea" said Vincent "Did it go as you hoped?"

"Yes" said Cloud "He knows everything and he is fine with it"

"You should still leave" said Barret "Tifa will come to you when she's ready"

"Will you go see him, Vincent?" Cloud asked. Vincent did not answer instead he turned his back on Cloud and walked to the other side of the room. Cloud ground his teeth and stepped forwards. Barret tried blocking his path but Cloud shoved him roughly aside.

"Turn your back on me if you want Vincent but don't do it to your son" said Cloud angrily. Yuffie and Cid had stepped out of Cloud's way giving him a clear run at Vincent if he chose to use it. Vincent turned around to face Cloud

"What if I don't, Cloud?" Vincent asked "Are you going to drag me over there?"

"I will just send Sephiroth over here to talk to you" said Cloud "Either way you're going to talk to your son" Cloud felt a hand on his shoulder moments before he was dragged backwards and thrown towards the door.

"I've told you to leave!" said Barret angrily.

Sephiroth watched from his window as Cloud kicked through the door into his old friends house. Sephiroth continued to watch as they argued. Sephiroth felt a knot in his throat, he did not like the idea of a confrontation. Suddenly he saw Cloud get thrown backwards; Cloud needed someone on his side. Wrapping himself in a shawl Sephiroth ran from the mansion over to the house.

Cloud was back on his feet and was shaking in fury; he felt a familiar hand on his forearm. Cloud turned to see Sephiroth who was wrapped in a shawl, hiding most of his face. Cloud noticed how much he looked like Vincent.

"Come on" said Sephiroth pulling Cloud slightly. Everyone in the room had gone quiet as Sephiroth had arrived, unarmed, to help Cloud. Vincent stood up straighter as Sephiroth arrived. Sephiroth was now stood in between Cloud and the people in the room, he had his back to them and was talking to Cloud.

"Don't argue" Sephiroth said "If they don't want to help me then don't force them"

"But" Cloud started. Sephiroth signalled for silence by raising his hand

"You can't force them" said Sephiroth "So please just leave it" Cloud stepped aside to let Sephiroth past as he walked back towards the mansion. Cloud took one last look at the taciturn Vincent who was watching Sephiroth leave. Slowly, Cloud began to walk after Sephiroth, the two of them were followed by Nanaki. When Sephiroth got back to the mansion he let out a deep breath he had been holding in; he was shaking, he had been half-expecting a fight but thankfully that had been avoided. Sephiroth felt the knot of emotion in his stomach loosen and he sunk against the wall with a sigh. Seconds later Cloud came through the front door

"Are you okay?" Cloud asked

"Yes" said Sephiroth "I'm just glad there wasn't a fight on my account"

"It's not your fault" said Cloud "I've chosen where I stand, they just don't understand"

"But still" said Sephiroth. This time it was Cloud who raised his hand for silence and Sephiroth respected his wish.

"I have chosen to help you and I will do it, even if it upsets my friends" said Cloud. Sephiroth nodded

"I'm glad I have you on my side" said Sephiroth who got back to his feet "I will be in my room if you need me" he said before walking away to his room.


	10. Chapter 10

Cloud sat in his room for the rest of the day, he did not wish to impose his presence on his friends. Nanaki was lounging on the end of his bed in deep thought. Slowly it turned to night and the rain began pouring down on the small village. Sephiroth was asleep in bed but his slumber was far from peaceful. Faces and names bombarded him as he relived every kill that he had ever done. The images awoke him with a start. The emotion was consuming him whole and he could not take it. After getting dressed Sephiroth stumbled out of his bedroom and out of the mansion. It was a few hours after midnight and everyone was asleep. Far above them the storm clouds were still at work throwing down gallons of rain.

Sephiroth tried running but he tripped on the end of his coat and crashed into the dirt. Sephiroth crouched on all fours; he found that he was crying. Sephiroth closed his eyes and willed the images to vanish but they just came back even clearer. Nothing he tried was working, every face came back clearly and once he had killed them he remembered the look in their cold, dead eyes. Sephiroth rolled up in a ball but it brought him no comfort.

"I don't want to imagine what you are going through" said a voice. Sephiroth release himself from a ball and looked up to see Nanaki who was stood a few steps away.

"How can I get it to stop?" Sephiroth sobbed as he knelt in the dirt and rain

"I don't know" said Nanaki staring deep into Sephiroth's green eyes "You're a murderer Sephiroth, the sooner you come to terms with that the better" Nanaki stepped forwards slightly

"I don't think I can make it through the rest of my life" said Sephiroth

"Then get through the next hour or the next minute" said Nanaki angrily "Don't feel sorry for yourself" Sephiroth looked up at the feline that was ordering him around _He's right_ thought Sephiroth. Nanaki continued to stare into Sephiroth's eyes and, in the end, it was Sephiroth who looked away.

"But all this emotion" said Sephiroth. Nanaki instantly cut across

"You killed all those people before" said Nanaki "You lived through it then so you can do it now"

"I was a different" Sephiroth started but Nanaki growled

"You have killed a lot of people, one of them was my friend, nothing has changed you're still Sephiroth and so you can live through this" said Nanaki.

"But" started Sephiroth. Nanaki dived forwards. Sephiroth threw himself back to avoid getting bitten.

"I have already told you to stop feeling sorry for yourself!" said Nanaki growling "So get back on your feet and just face the fact that you're a sadistic killer" snapped Nanaki. Sephiroth felt a surge of hatred spread through him

"I'm not him anymore" Sephiroth shouted at Nanaki "So don't you try and make me feel bad" Nanaki smiled slightly

"How do you feel?" Nanaki asked him. Sephiroth was breathing hard but all the guilt was covered by hatred which was slowly ebbing away; taking the guilt with it. Sephiroth sighed and, slowly, got to his feet.

"I feel better" said Sephiroth "Where did you learn that?" Nanaki smiled

"It's just something I picked up from my grandfather" said Nanaki. Slowly the rain began to come to a halt but the night was still incredibly cold.

"I think we should get back inside" said Sephiroth looking up at the cloudy sky. Nanaki nodded in agreement and the two of them went back inside. Sephiroth sat on the bottom step dripping while Nanaki sat on the floor facing him

"Do you think I'll ever be able to make it up to them?" Sephiroth asked Nanaki. Nanaki shook his head

"I'm not the one to ask" said Nanaki "You need to go over there and speak to them yourself"

"Do you think I should go around there tomorrow?" Sephiroth asked

"The sooner, probably the better" said Nanaki

"Could you come with me?" Sephiroth asked him. Nanaki nodded

"I will" said Nanaki. Sephiroth thanked Nanaki for all he had done and went back to his room. Nanaki watched him go and wondered if going to see Cloud's friends would be the best idea. In the end Nanaki decided that it was the best idea and went back up to Cloud's room where he curled up at the bottom of the bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Tifa was sat at her kitchen table but not eating anything even though she had a full breakfast in front of her.

"You have to eat" said Barret who was sat beside her

"I can't" said Tifa who was staring at a mark on the tablecloth.

"Come on" Barret pleaded "Please"

"How can I?" Tifa asked looking up at him "Cloud's over there, only a few meters away, and I feel further away from him now than when he was in Midgar and I was here"

"He'll come around" said Barret

"Yeah, with Sephiroth" said Tifa.

"Maybe Sephiroth will see the trouble he is causing and leave" said Vincent who was leaning against the wall.

"Do you really?" Tifa said

"I reckon he's a stubborn bastard like his old man" said Cid. Vincent's head tilted to the side as he heard the words

"What's that meant to mean?" Vincent asked, his voice barely a whisper

"I reckon he'll stick with Cloud" said Cid

"What makes you say that?" Yuffie asked, she was seated on the bottom step of the staircase with a bowl of soup.

"Didn't you see him?" Cid asked turning to her "He seemed so innocent, he probably thinks of Cloud as a brother or something"

"So we have Cloud and Sephiroth or no Cloud" said Tifa "But how can we forgive him for what he did?"

"Sephiroth or Cloud?" Vincent asked

"Sephiroth" said Tifa "He killed Aeris, he probably doesn't even care!"

A knock at the door, which Cid had refitted, drew their attention. Barret walked over and threw it open, at first he thought it was Cloud coming to say sorry but started when he saw the white tresses of Sephiroth. Barret stepped back and raised his gun arm

"What do you want?" he asked Sephiroth.

"Hear him out" said Nanaki who was stood by Sephiroth's side.

"Can I come in?" Sephiroth asked politely. Tifa was watching from the table; she could see that Sephiroth's hands were fidgeting.

"No" said Barret instantly.

"No, come in" said Tifa softly.

"Tifa!" said Barret turning to her

"It's my house, Barret" said Tifa who had got to her feet "Here take a seat" she said kindly offering up the only spare seat other than one she had been sat in. Sephiroth thanked her and sat down. Sephiroth couldn't help but feel that he had stepped into a place where his presence was uninvited.

All night he had sat awake wondering what he was going to say to them the next day. In the morning he and Nanaki had slipped out before Cloud had awoken as he would have come along and, no doubt, made things complicated.

Sephiroth sat at the table unsure of where to start; Nanaki came over and sat at his side

"Sephiroth lost his memory" Nanaki explained "Cloud left under the assumption that we had died and so he decided to help Sephiroth piece back what he could, that's why Sephiroth is here; he wants to apologise"

"Then why don't he say that himself? Barret interrupted. Sephiroth looked up at Barret who held his gaze until Sephiroth looked away

"I know I can't change" said Sephiroth quietly

"What?" Barret asked loudly "You need to speak up so we can hear you, not that we care what you say" Sephiroth remained silent for a few seconds until he looked up

"I know I can't change what happened but, after what Cloud has told me about you, I'm hoping you'll find it in your heart to try and forgive me" said Sephiroth

"I don't think we'll be able to" said Cid "After all you did kill Aeris" Sephiroth nodded and lowered his gaze

"I understand" said Sephiroth. Tifa bit her bottom lip; she felt remorseful to see Sephiroth as he was now

"In time" said Tifa "We could come around" Tifa reached out and took Sephiroth's hands, which were resting on the table

"You must be Tifa" said Sephiroth.

"Yes" said Tifa

"Can you forgive Cloud?" Sephiroth asked "He only meant to help me; he truly thought you were gone and it really upset him when he thought he had lost you, which is why he chose to help me"

Tifa gazed into Sephiroth's green eyes and knew that he was telling the truth.

"I don't know" said Tifa "Me and Cloud have…history"

"A good history" said Sephiroth "He's told me quite a bit about you and it has all been good"

"Is that all?" Barret interrupted. Sephiroth removed his hands from Tifa's gentle grasp and got to his feet.

"Thank you" he said to the room of people. Sephiroth paused as he turned to leave; he had spotted Vincent. Vincent held his gaze for a second before they both broke it off. Sephiroth turned and left the house.

Tifa and the others sat in silence as they watched Sephiroth walk back over to the mansion.

"I believe he really is sorry" said Tifa

"Me too" said Yuffie who was still looking at the mansion's front doors.

"I don't care if he's sorry" said Barret crossing his arms "He's still Sephiroth"

"Oh come on" said Tifa rolling her eyes "What's in a name? He's got the same name and body, sure, but his character, his essence, they've changed"

"I can't help remembering what happened to Aeris every time I look at him" admitted Barret "I'm sure some of you are the same"

"He's got a point" said Cid

"I have spent a day and night in his presence" said Nanaki who had not followed Sephiroth out.

"What do you make of him?" Cid asked

"Do you think he's lying?" Barret asked

"No" said Nanaki "He truly cannot remember aspects of his life"

"What if he gets em back?" Barret asked "He'd be Sephiroth again"

"He would not" said Nanaki "He already remembers a lot of the things he did when he turned, he's disturbed by them but he's dealing with it"

"How do you know that?" Barret asked

"Because last night he broke down in the square" said Nanaki. The room went silent at this new piece of information.

"He was tearing himself apart but I managed to get through to him" said Nanaki.

"So he's good?" Tifa asked

"He's got a clean sheet, not many people get that chance" said Nanaki "I hope you'll choose to help him" Nanaki walked out of the front door and crossed to the mansion.


	12. Chapter 12

When Cloud awoke he found Nanaki and Sephiroth in the dining room talking about Aeris.

"What was she like?" Sephiroth asked

"She was the spirit of the group, so when she…died" Nanaki said

"She did not die" said Sephiroth "I killed her"

"Yes" said Nanaki "But after that I thought the group would lose its drive but instead it seemed to give us more drive"

"So when I…killed Aeris, I gave you more drive to kill me?" Sephiroth asked

"Yes" said Nanaki. Sephiroth looked up and sensed Cloud standing behind the door

"You can come in, Cloud" said Sephiroth "I would have told you about this, no need to eavesdrop" Cloud stepped into the room

"Sorry" said Cloud

"Its okay" said Sephiroth "Was what Nanaki said accurate?"

"Yeah" said Cloud "It did make us want to kill you more"

"What effect I have on people" said Sephiroth sitting back in his chair.

"Breakfast?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth and Nanaki were going to say 'yes' but were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sephiroth subconsciously noted that the knock was hard and hurried; someone was nervous about knocking. This information surprised Sephiroth and the fact that he had noted it so quickly.

"Something unexpected?" Nanaki asked noticing the look on Sephiroth's usually composed face.

"Yes" said Sephiroth "I noticed that the person at the door was nervous, only by their knock"

"You are a genius" said Nanaki.

Cloud pulled open the door swiftly and was startled to see Tifa stood there. When he had opened it looked to him that she was thinking of leaving.

"Hi" she said waving embarrassedly

"Hello" said Cloud "Would you like to come in?"

"No" said Tifa quickly "Can we speak out here?" Cloud nodded and stepped out of the manor and closed the door behind him. The two of them sat on the wet grass together.

"Sephiroth came around earlier" said Tifa. Cloud raised his eyebrows

"Did he? He never said" said Cloud.

"He came to apologise for Aeris" said Tifa "And he said you missed me" she said after a few seconds of pause. Cloud lowered his head to try and conceal a smile

"He was telling the truth, wasn't he?" Tifa said smiling herself.

"Yes" said Cloud "He's a good judge of character"

"Yes he is" said Tifa "he has a way with words" she said looking at the front doors.

"Is that what you came over for?" Cloud asked "To tell me that Sephiroth had left the house"

"No" she said pushing him over "I came to tell you that…I missed you too" Cloud straightened up. The two of them sat in an awkward silence; neither knew what to say now.

"Do you want to come in for some breakfast?" Cloud asked.

"I would love to" said Tifa jumping to her feet

"Sephiroth's a good cook" said Cloud getting to his feet and opening the door into the mansion. The door collided with someone who had been listening; Sephiroth.

"Were you listening?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth grinned playfully; something Tifa had never seen.

"No" he said walking off towards the kitchen. Cloud ran after him and tried to slap him playfully across the back of the head but Sephiroth ran and slammed the kitchen door shut. Tifa laughed out loud; the two of them were like young kids, brothers even.

An hour later Sephiroth emerged from the kitchen with three large plates of food. Sephiroth had tried persuading Nanaki to have one too but Nanaki remained adamant in saying he would hunt for his food.

"I could hide it" Sephiroth had suggested but Nanaki had then tried to bite him.

The three of them, plus Nanaki who was watching, sat down to their breakfasts.

"This is gorgeous" said Tifa who had just tucked into the sausages.

"Thank you" said Sephiroth.

"Remember when you figured out you could cook?" Cloud asked "You made a massive feast just for us both" Sephiroth and Cloud laughed

"I did go a bit insane with the cooking" said Sephiroth. Tifa and Nanaki laughed

"That would have been a great sight" said Tifa.

"How did you get from the Northern Boundary?" Sephiroth asked "It's been puzzling me since you got back"

"We got a lift from a private fisherman" said Tifa "How did you get back?"

"We bargained our way onto a ship that stopped in the bone village" said Cloud.

"Have you tried your magic since you have been back?" Nanaki asked Sephiroth.

"I haven't really thought about it" said Sephiroth

"Didn't it come back with your memories from the Masamune?" Cloud asked

"I only got the memories of what I did, not of how I did them" said Sephiroth

"So I could kick your ass?" Tifa asked the laughed with the others. Sephiroth nodded whilst laughing

"I bet you probably could" he said

"We should practice sometime" said Tifa "You've got quite a talent for magic"

"Where?" Sephiroth asked "I've heard from Cloud that I have quite a lot of firepower, we wouldn't want me to burn the village to the ground" An awkward silence fell upon the table.

"What?" Sephiroth asked looking from Cloud to Tifa.

"Nothing" said Cloud concentrating on his breakfast

"Doesn't this place have a garden?" Tifa asked Cloud, breaking the awkward silence. The blonde shrugged

"Never checked" he said

"We should go have a look after breakfast" said Sephiroth

"If it's overgrown we can practice your skills on the plants" said Tifa.

"Such fun, to check my magical gardening skills" said Sephiroth.

After breakfast Cloud was burdened with the dishes while Sephiroth and Tifa found the garden. It was, in fact, overgrown but Tifa found a good place for the two of them to stand. They had their backs to the mansion and were facing the cliff face which was eight hundred meters away from them, perfect for target practice.

"I don't really know how your magic works" said Tifa "It's a sort of feeling thing" the young woman held out her hand and a small tree burst into flames. Sephiroth shrugged and held out his hand and willed a small hedge to burst into flames.

Cloud yawned as he flicked bubbles into the air. Suddenly the entire mansion was shaken to its foundations. Cloud grabbed onto the pile of plates to stop them crashing to the floor. Tifa and Sephiroth came stumbling into the mansion's hall covered by dust and bits of singed foliage. Sephiroth was coughing and laughing at the same time leaning against the banister for support while Tifa had fallen onto her hands and knees grasping her sides for support, trying to cope with the waves of laughter that had consumed her. Sephiroth laughed out loud again and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"Going well?" Cloud asked trying not to burst into fits of laughter himself.

"I can't believe you just did that" Tifa said laughing

"What?" Cloud asked smiling. Tifa shook her head as she got back to her feet

"I can't tell you I'd just start myself off again" she said "Come on you, let's get a handle on that power" Cloud watched with a smile on his face as the two of them disappeared back into the garden. Cloud shook his head and walked back into the kitchen. _Those two, they seem to be like kids_ thought Cloud.

Tifa and Sephiroth found their way back to the small patch of earth which now had a small blast zone around the area where a small bush had been before.

"Try and concentrate, use only small bits of energy" she said. Sephiroth tried; a leaf caught fire.

"Too little" said Tifa who walked over to him. Tifa took his hand in hers "Try and focus on _my_ energy" she said "Close your eyes" Sephiroth did; he was aware of another power source. He felt a slight twitch in the energy and opened his eyes; a small tree was, again, on fire.

"Try that" she said. Sephiroth did; he closed his eyes and tried twitching his internal energy. He heard the spark then the roar of flame. When he opened his eyes a small tree was engulfed in furious flames.

"Good" said Tifa "You got it in one" Tifa pointed to a vacant birds next high in a tree "Do the nest, see if you can do it without blowing the tree to smithereens" Sephiroth kept his eyes focused on the nest and willed it to burst into flames; it did. White flames engulfed the nest without scorching the branches.

"Very good" said Tifa hugging Sephiroth who was still watching the nest.

"What else?" Sephiroth asked smiling. Tifa looked around; there was a pylon on the roof of the mansion.

"See if you can hit that with lightning" said Tifa

"But it's on the mansion" said Sephiroth "What if I miss?"

"You won't" said Tifa "I have faith in you" Sephiroth shrugged and concentrated on the pylon which stuck up high above the mansion. Suddenly Sephiroth came over defenceless.

"I don't feel so good" he admitted. Black clouds had begun to gather over Nibelheim. Tifa was stood watching the cloud gather. Thunder rumbled high above them. The young woman was unprepared for this type of event; Sephiroth's powers were spiralling beyond his control.

"Cloud!" she shouted. Suddenly Tifa heard a crashing behind her and whirled around to see something red shooting through the branches of the trees towards her; Vincent Valentine. Vincent crashed onto the earth next to his son.

"Sephiroth" said Vincent "Listen to me" he ordered. Sephiroth groaned slightly; he was very faint. Sephiroth nodded

"I can hear you" said Sephiroth "I don't feel well" The wind had picked up and the trees around them were being rattled violently.

"Concentrate" Vincent told him "You're doing this"

"I can't stop it, I've got no power" said Sephiroth

"You must have" said Vincent "You're powering this storm" Sephiroth looked up at the sky; Vincent could see the sky reflected in his sons eyes.

"Come on" said Vincent "Close your mind" Sephiroth closed his eyes and tried concentrating. A bolt of lightning hit the pylon blowing it to smithereens.

"Well you hit the pylon" said Tifa sarcastically. Sephiroth laughed despite his light-headedness.

"Come on" said Vincent "Please concentrate" Vincent thought about it "Concentrate on my voice Sephiroth, focus on it"

"Just don't aim for it" joked Tifa who was knelt next to Sephiroth. Sephiroth felt happier; he wanted to laugh. Slowly the clouds began to part and a brilliant blue sky was visible above them. Slowly the black clouds transformed back into white. Vincent straightened up

"Congratulations" said Vincent helping Sephiroth to his feet.

"Were you watching me all this time?" Sephiroth asked

"When I heard the explosion I guessed you were practicing your magic" said Vincent.

"And you didn't kill your father" said Tifa "Big bonus" Vincent looked up at the sky

"I better be off" he said and leapt into the trees and, seconds later, was gone.

"Come on" said Tifa putting her arm around Sephiroth's waist; he still felt ill. Tifa lead him up to his room where he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. Tifa couldn't help smiling as she watched him sleep. There was a small red chair at the bottom of his bed; Tifa sat in it and watched Sephiroth slumber. There was something naïve about the new Sephiroth, something with a childish innocence. Tifa had enjoyed the very short time she had spent helping Sephiroth

_Is this what Cloud felt when he first decided to help him? Or is it something else?_ Tifa thought as she watched the well-built male who was sound asleep. There was something angelic about him also; Tifa guessed it was his white hair but also Tifa felt the air of ambiguity that surrounded him; the thought that maybe, one day, he could snap again and go down that fateful path. Tifa started when Cloud came into the room with a cup of tea for her.

"How is he?" Cloud asked

"He used quite a lot of power; he lost his self-control" said Tifa "Is it okay if I carry on helping him?"

"Of course" said Cloud "I can't do it by myself"

"Thank you" said Tifa taking the cup of tea. Cloud watched Tifa as she sat back in the chair sipping her tea and watching Sephiroth sleep. Quietly, Cloud walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"I heard Tifa say she wanted to help him" said Nanaki who was sat on the floor in the hallway looking up at the stained glass windows.

"Yes" said Cloud "Do you think I made the right decision?"

"I don't know" said Nanaki "I think a female influence will do him some good"

"Depends who it is" said Cloud meaning Yuffie

"Yes" said Nanaki who chuckled "We don't want Sephiroth becoming a kleptomaniac" Cloud walked out of the mansion and decided to get some air by walking up Mount Nibel.


	13. Chapter 13

Sephiroth sat up in bed and yawned. He started when he found Tifa asleep next to him.

"What the hell?" he asked himself. Tifa rolled over

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked. Sephiroth nodded

"Yes" he said

"Sorry" she said "I just thought I'd just have a quick nap"

"Don't apologise, you did nothing wrong" he said.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked him

"A hundred percent" said Sephiroth

"Fancy training?" she asked "We have some more land clearing to do, then we'll try you in hand to hand combat"

The two of them went down into the garden where Sephiroth tried more basic magic. In the end Tifa wiped out most of the life in the garden.

"You have some serious issues" said Sephiroth looking at the remains of some trees that were turning into ash.

"The ash will help the grass" she said simply. Sephiroth laughed

"What now?" he asked

"Take off your coat" she said. Sephiroth took off the long black coat and folded it up on the grass.

"How are you going to teach me?" Sephiroth asked

"How I was taught" said Tifa "Come stand here" she said pointing to a place next to her. Slowly Tifa took Sephiroth through many different types of physical combat.

Cloud gasped for breath as he jogged across the bridge. Half away along he stopped and looked back at the mansion. From his vantage point he could see two dots in the cleared garden; _Tifa and Sephiroth most likely _he thought. Cloud turned and began his run back down the mountain to the manor.

Vincent was sat in a small alcove in the cliff face watching Tifa guide Sephiroth through combat sequences. He was interested to see what Sephiroth would be like in the end; he would be a new man _Maybe a true son_ thought Vincent _One I won't have to pay penance for_.

"Let's try some exercises" said Tifa standing ahead of Sephiroth. Tifa threw some slow punches in order to let Sephiroth try out what he had just learnt. Slowly the tempo increased, Tifa made sure she kept to the basics. After almost an hour without pause Tifa lowered her arms which were getting tired.

"Your stamina must have something to do with your magic" she said to Sephiroth who was sweating buckets. Sephiroth sighed and lowered his tired arms

"Are you hungry?" he asked

"A bit" she said "Come on" she lead him back into the house. Cloud came through the doors noisily

"Sorry" he said closing the door quietly. Nanaki had almost been hit by the doors opening so rapidly; hence the apology.

"Where are Tifa and Sephiroth?" Cloud asked

"In the kitchen, they have been training" said Nanaki

"In the kitchen?" Cloud asked, rather an idiotic moment for the leader who had recently led an attack on a very powerful enemy.

"No, in the garden" said Nanaki simply "They have just entered the kitchen to get a drink and some food"

"Okay" said Cloud and went into the kitchen. When he entered Tifa had her head in the fridge and Sephiroth was sat on the side with a glass of water looking out through the kitchen window.

"What have you been up to?" Tifa asked Cloud who was stood in the doorway glittering with sweat

"Out running" he said "How did the training go?"

"You're doing well" Tifa said to Sephiroth. Sephiroth nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you" he said.

"I should be getting back" said Tifa "Barret doesn't trust you, he might think you've cut me into pieces and made a stew out of me or something" Sephiroth and Tifa laughed making Cloud feel a bit left out.

"Bye" she said hugging Sephiroth then Cloud before leaving the manor.

"You two seem pretty close" said Cloud

"That's a wonderful lady you have there Cloud, don't let her go" said Sephiroth putting a reassuring hand on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud watched Sephiroth walk away into the garden, he couldn't help but feel jealous that Tifa was exclusively interested in spending time with Sephiroth.

"He won't steal her from you" said Nanaki who was watching Cloud "He is like a brother to you, he doesn't want to step on your toes" Cloud thought about it "And Tifa isn't the kind of girl to do that anyway, plus I don't think she fancies Sephiroth and vice versa"

"It's not that" said Cloud sitting on the bottom step "I just feel a bit left out, I know it's selfish"

"Yes it is quite" said Nanaki "Sephiroth should come first now, after all he does need the help"

"I know" said Cloud

"But saying that I don't think it's fair that your feelings for Tifa should be put on hold because Sephiroth needs help, I think you should tell her how you feel" said Nanaki "But if not then make sure you don't feel like you just did; jealously came off you in waves, if I can sense it then I wouldn't be surprised if he could"

"Was it that bad?" Cloud asked

"Oh yes" said Nanaki.

"Sorry" said Cloud.

"It's okay, good job Sephiroth did not sense it, he would have felt very guilty" said Nanaki.

At noon Cloud went outside and found Sephiroth meditating in the centre of the garden, not wanting to disturb him Cloud went back into the house.

"What's he up to now?" Nanaki asked

"Meditating" said Cloud

"I wonder if he's doing it to pass the time or find inner peace?" said Nanaki

"Vincent should try it" said Cloud "Get some inner peace" Nanaki and Cloud both laughed. Someone knocked on the door and Cloud went to open it. His visitor was Yuffie.

"Well, where is he?" Yuffie asked walking into the hall

"He's got nothing to steal" said Cloud simply. Yuffie sighed

"I'm not here to steal from him!" said Yuffie throwing her arms out "I'm here to say hi!"

"He's in the garden" said Nanaki. Yuffie sprinted out through the backdoors and out of sight.

"Poor Sephiroth" said Cloud

"I wonder what he'll make of her?" Nanaki said "He's never met someone so…"

"Noisy?" Cloud asked

"I was going to say flamboyant" said Nanaki.

Sephiroth was sat in complete silence when he heard footsteps. He had barely opened his eyes when something small but strong crashed into him.

"Hey!" said someone in greeting as they rolled over a few times due to the velocity he had been crashed into. In the end Sephiroth was lying flat on his back and Yuffie was lying a few meters away on her stomach facing him.

"You must be Yuffie Kisaragi" said Sephiroth looking over at her.

"You heard of me?" she asked smiling

"From Cloud" said Sephiroth

"Was it good?" she asked

"No" said Sephiroth. Yuffie jumped to her feet and ran over and knelt on Sephiroth.

"You any fun?" she asked

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked

"Come on, everyone is so boring!" she said "Someone around here must have some sense of adventure!" with one hand Sephiroth shoved Yuffie off him and he flipped himself onto his feet. Yuffie rolled and landed on her feet.

"Come on!" she screamed at him "Be fun!" Sephiroth rubbed the back of his head; this woman was annoying him. Suddenly Yuffie had tackled him and Sephiroth found himself pinned face-down in the grass.

"I thought you were like super-martial arty" said Yuffie. Sephiroth nudged her and rolled over pinning her.

"I'm getting there" he said. Yuffie laughed and managed to get free. Sephiroth jumped to his feet but Yuffie swept his feet from beneath him bringing him crashing onto his back. Yuffie dived and landed on his; pinning his arms.

"Ha! I win!" she declared. Sephiroth was much stronger and broke her grip and rolled over pinning her wrists.

"You sure?" he asked "Because I'm the one on top and you're pinned; I guess that means I win" Yuffie tried getting free

"No fair!" she screamed "You're older! And you're a guy! And you're bigger than me! And you're a guy!"

"You said that last bit twice" he said laughing.

"Argh!" she screamed at him. Sephiroth laughed and got up. Yuffie tackled him knocking him over and then she pinned him again

"Ha!" she said "You didn't see that one coming!"

"Actually" said Sephiroth and rolled backwards taking Yuffie with him. Yuffie was lying face down and Sephiroth had one hand on her right arm pinning her, her other arm was stuck under her.

"I was expecting it" said Sephiroth "Do you give up?"

"No" said Yuffie straight away and began squirming but Sephiroth was in control. After a few minutes of trying to get free Yuffie sighed and put her head on the floor; a true mark of defeat.

"I give up!" she shouted face down on the grass.

"I didn't hear that" Sephiroth said with a smile

"You're cruel" she said lifting her head "I give up!" she screamed. Sephiroth laughed and got to his feet and helped Yuffie up.

"You're fun after all" said Yuffie stretching "Shame you're old"

"Hey!" said Sephiroth "I'm only…" he thought about it "I'm only twenty-two!"

"I'm sixteen" she said "Pervert!" she screamed at him making him jump. Yuffie laughed as did Sephiroth.

"You're completely insane" said Sephiroth shaking his head and walking towards the house.

"You're old" she said simply. Yuffie jumped and landed on Sephiroth's back.

"Yes?" he asked

"Carry me!" she said "Go horsey!" Sephiroth laughed and walked towards the mansion. When they arrived in the main hall Nanaki gave Sephiroth a bemused look

"Apparently I'm a horse" said Sephiroth

"A rubbish horse" said Yuffie dropping from Sephiroth's back "Tifa says you're a good cook, is that right?"

"I am not cooking" said Sephiroth

"Oh come on" she said holding his hand "Please! Barret isn't a very good cook"

"No" said Sephiroth.

"Come!" she screamed but Sephiroth had expected it and covered her mouth mid scream. Yuffie sank her teeth into his palm. Sephiroth snapped his hand back

"On!" she finished her scream. Cloud shook his head; he was watching the three of them from the upstairs hallway.

"Fine!" Sephiroth shouted back and walked off towards the kitchen laughing; he had scared Yuffie half to death.

"That was cruel!" she screamed at him before running after him.


	14. Chapter 14

Tifa opened the front doors to the mansion and stepped inside. She could hear shouting from the kitchen

"What's going on in there?" she asked

"I would say that Sephiroth is having his 'second-childhood' but he never had one seeing as he was probably brought up in a container" said Nanaki "Which makes it his first childhood"

"At the age of twenty something with that much power?" Tifa said with a smile on her face.

"I don't like eggs!" Yuffie shouted

"Yes you do!" shouted Sephiroth

"How do you know!" Yuffie screamed

"Because I'm Sephiroth! I know everything!" he shouted back but couldn't hold his composure and started laughing.

"You sound like the old Sephiroth" said Yuffie "Except he was evil, wasn't obsessed with cooking and wasn't a complete pansy"

"I'm not a pansy!" said Sephiroth

"You so are" said Yuffie "Pansy!" she screamed. The two of them began to laugh. Tifa went over and stuck her head around the door

"How's it going?" Tifa asked

"Okay" said Sephiroth

"Who gave you the right to answer? Bitch!" shouted Yuffie "It's going okay" Yuffie said to Tifa. Sephiroth was laughing while trying to fry an egg without knocking it out of the frying pan.

"I'm guessing enhanced strength can be a burden?" Tifa asked Sephiroth

"Only when it comes to cooking" said Sephiroth "I've learnt to control it though"

"How is everything back at the house?" Yuffie asked "Barret seemed pretty, grr"

"He's calmed down, he doesn't like the fact that I'm teaching Sephiroth" said Tifa

"Why not?" Sephiroth asked "If I went insane I'd probably get back my old memories so the training would be redundant" Tifa, Yuffie and Sephiroth laughed together

"Good point, I'll use that one" said Tifa

"Sephiroth?" Yuffie asked

"Yes?" Sephiroth asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. Yuffie smiled when she heard it

"Can we dye your hair?" she asked "Ginger!" Sephiroth tucked his hair into the back of his black t-shirt.

"No" he said

"Come on bitch!" she screamed at him. Sephiroth and Tifa laughed again.

"No" said Sephiroth

"Come on!" she shouted

"No!" Sephiroth shouted at Yuffie startling her. Yuffie waved her arms and kicked the cupboard at her feet and pretended to cry

"Cloud!" Yuffie screamed "Sephiroth's being, _unfair_!" she screamed the final word louder than ever.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted from somewhere in the manor "Be nice!"

"No!" Sephiroth shouted at the roof; Cloud must have been in the bathroom taking a shower.

"Fine!" Cloud shouted "Yuffie! Be quiet!"

"Argh!" Yuffie screamed at the roof. The three in the kitchen began to laugh, Out in the hallway Nanaki shook his head but still had a smile on his face

"Children" he muttered while he plodded away towards the garden; time for him to get a nice rest in the sun.

"Who's this guy?" Sephiroth asked indicating to the window. Cid was walking down the garden path

"Cid Highwind" said Tifa who went to open the door.

"Ask him if he wants breakfast" said Sephiroth. Tifa opened the door and Cid nodded ot her a he walked inside.

"Where is he?" Cid asked

"Walking freak show…through here" said Yuffie.

"Hey!" Cid heard Sephiroth say. Cid stepped into the kitchen

"Hello Sephiroth" said Cid shaking Sephiroth's hand

"Hello, breakfast?" he asked

"Alright then" said Cid "Barret's cooking isn't too good"

"So I've heard" said Sephiroth "Actually it was pretty difficult to miss when you've got her screaming it at you" he pointed at Yuffie with the spatula.

"Hey!" Yuffie said "Don't flick at me!"

"Or you'll what?" Sephiroth asked

"Kick your ass!" Yuffie screamed at him. Suddenly Yuffie went quiet holding her throat. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow

"What's going on?" he asked Tifa who was smiling

"Silence" Tifa said "You must have done it by accident or something"

"Oops" said Sephiroth "Sorry Yuffie" he turned back to the cooking. Yuffie waved her arms but when she couldn't get Sephiroth's attention she kicked him in the back of the leg causing his knee to slam against the cooker.

"Damn" said Sephiroth rubbing his knee. Yuffie waved her arms about like a maniac.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sephiroth asked

"I might have an echo screen back at the house" said Tifa "I'll just go get it" Tifa turned and ran over to the door

"Take your time!" Sephiroth called. Yuffie tried slapping him but Sephiroth moved.

"So how is everything now?" Cid asked Sephiroth

"Fine, well good but it's getting better" said Sephiroth as he flipped the eggs.

"How much do you remember?" Cid asked

"Nothing about my childhood, flashes when I fought against you and full scenes from when I was in Soldier, obviously not in that order" said Sephiroth.

"So you haven't got your full memory?" Cid said

"Not yet, Cloud's filled me in on what I did though" said Sephiroth "Sorry about the Highwind, seeing as you wouldn't have been there if I hadn't and your ship wouldn't have been destroyed"

"I can rebuild" said Cid with a shrug "I can build something grander, even but thanks for the apology" Sephiroth began to dish out their food.

"Here you go" said Sephiroth handing a plate to the silent Yuffie then handing another plate to Cid who thanked him

"The dining room is through there" said Sephiroth. Cid thanked him and Yuffie glared at him before she left. Sephiroth threw the pans into the sink and left the room. Minutes later Tifa came back and handed Yuffie the echo screen. Once Yuffie downed it everyone sat in silence, a silence that was no doubt about to be shattered.

"Did it work?" Sephiroth asked

"You bastard!" Yuffie shouted at Sephiroth who laughed and clapped.


	15. Chapter 15

Later that day, around two hours after they had lunch, Tifa and Sephiroth were back in the garden training. Tifa knew that she could go through the training quicker as Sephiroth was quickly absorbing the basics. After twenty eight minutes of running through the basics Tifa and Sephiroth sat down on the grass for a short rest.

"What did you make of Yuffie?" Tifa asked Sephiroth. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows

"Bit of a handful" said Sephiroth

"Bit?" Tifa asked taking a drink from her water bottle

"Alright, a big handful" said Sephiroth.

"You get used to her" said Tifa "She becomes background noise" Sephiroth and Tifa laughed

"I wouldn't want that" said Sephiroth "She's a breath of fresh air after living with Cloud, king of tranquillity!" Tifa and Sephiroth both laughed.

"So what's it like living with Cloud?" Tifa asked

"It wasn't really living, he was teaching me every day" said Sephiroth "But he was a good laugh"

"So what are you going to do when you get all of your memories back and you become a new man?" Tifa asked raising an eyebrow. Sephiroth thought about it

"I haven't thought that far ahead" he said.

"Sephiroth, would you like to come to the Forest of the Ancients with me sometime?" Tifa asked. Sephiroth seemed surprised

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked

"It's an ancient forest but it is very calm, it would make a change for you" she said "It would only be for the day of course"

"It sounds great" said Sephiroth "Who else would come?"

"Just us" said Tifa "It would help you understand silence, a key part of martial arts"

"Did you do it?" Sephiroth asked

"Oh yes" she said "But we went down to the coast, it is too noisy there now"

"So it's like a meditation thing?" Sephiroth asked

"Yes" said Tifa "Help you gain inner peace" she said "Help you keep control when things get tough"

"It sounds good" said Sephiroth holding out his hand and Tifa shook it

"It's a deal" said Tifa who got to her feet "Now on your feet pansy" she said laughing. Sephiroth chuckled as he got to his feet.

From the second floor window Cloud watched Sephiroth and Tifa talking on the grass for a few minutes until they shook hands and got to their feet and continued training. Cloud wondered what they were talking about as they both seemed pleased at the agreement they had come to. With a slightly jealous glare at Sephiroth Cloud turned away from the window and walked back to his room. Part way Cloud stopped and looked back at Sephiroth's room; _Maybe it will help if I check out his room_ thought Cloud _It might give me an insight into his mind_ Cloud turned and was about to walk towards Sephiroth's room when Yuffie came jogging up the stairs

"Where's Sephiroth and Tifa?" Yuffie asked

"Garden" said Cloud. Yuffie nodded and ran back down the stairs. Cloud turned away from Sephiroth's room and walked into his own and closed the door.

Yuffie jogged out to meet the two

"Hello there Yuffie" said Tifa blocking one of Sephiroth's punches and tripped him over.

"Hey, Barret is asking for you" said Yuffie

"About what?" Tifa asked

"He wouldn't say, but it seemed urgent" said Yuffie. Tifa looked sideways at Sephiroth who had just got to his feet.

"Okay" said Tifa "See you tomorrow?" she asked Sephiroth who nodded

"Of course" he said. Yuffie took one fleeting look at Sephiroth before jogging off with Tifa. Sephiroth sighed and walked into the house with his hands behind his head. Sephiroth moved silently up the stairs and collapsed onto his bed.


	16. Chapter 16

When Tifa and Yuffie arrived back at the house everyone was there; including Vincent.

"Aren't you meant to be hiding in a tree somewhere?" Tifa whispered to Vincent as she passed.

"I've asked you all here because I'm leaving for Midgar tomorrow" said Barret "You're all welcome to come if you want"

"Tomorrow?" Tifa said "It's a bit sudden isn't it?"

"No" said Barret "I've gotta get back and see Marlene"

"That makes sense" said Cid "You gotta look after your own" This plan put Tifa in a difficult situation; Marlene would, no-doubt, be asking after Tifa but Tifa had already promised Sephiroth that she would continued to help him; and then there was Cloud. Tifa looked up; everyone was looking at her, wondering what she was going to do.

"I don't think I can come" said Tifa

"But Marlene will want to see you" said Barret "What am I meant to tell her? That you're away helping a murderer get his memory back?" Tifa stepped forwards but felt a cold yet strong hand on her shoulder. Tifa tried batting the arm away but the person was unbelievably strong.

"He's not a murderer anymore!" Tifa shouted at Barret "It's people like you who are going to hold him back" Tifa shrugged again but the arm remained relentless "Get off!" she said whirling around to see who it was; it was Vincent who was watching Barret with cold eyes. If Vincent had looked at Tifa like that she would have run a mile.

"Don't" he said to her in his voice which was, as always, barely above a whisper "Barret's made up his mind"

"But Sephiroth's your son!" Tifa said "Aren't you going to stand up for him?"

"Vincent's never considered Sephiroth his son" said Barret "Hojo is Sephiroth's father, the true Sephiroth" Tifa felt Vincent's grip tighten; it she had not had been so strong the grip would have shattered her shoulder. Tifa put her hand on Vincent's forearm

"Like you said to me Vincent, he's made his mind up" said Tifa. Vincent's grip loosened. Tifa walked towards the door and Vincent followed her

"Where are you two off to now?" Barret asked

"To see my son" said Vincent. Those words caused silence among the people in the room. As Vincent and Tifa walked back along the square to the Mansion Tifa looked up at Vincent.

"What made you change your view on Sephiroth?" Tifa asked him

"After seeing him with you and with Yuffie, I've seen the real him, the one who was never in Soldier" said Vincent "I see a son that can made a father proud, one that's intelligent and strong and stands by his morals"

"It's not just that, is it?" Tifa asked as she grabbed Vincent by his arm and spinning him around to face her, the two of them were now stood near the Mansion's main gate

"Sephiroth was always strong and intelligent, it's something else" said Tifa. Vincent looked down; was it embarrassment?

"He reminds me of Lucrecia" said Vincent "She could be happy and full of energy yet she was tremendously smart and professional" Tifa laughed and hugged Vincent. Vincent had been shot at, blown up, he'd jumped off cliffs and from building to building but when Tifa had hugged him it had startled him more than anything that had happened in his past. When Tifa broke away she was smiling broadly

"You should speak to him" said Tifa "He's got that air of slyness that you have, I bet you two are more alike than you'd imagine"

"How do I go about it?" Vincent asked; the two of them sat down on the wall of the mansion facing each other.

"Go about what?" Tifa asked

"Talking to him" said Vincent

"Try hello" said Tifa "It's a great ice-breaker, you're the smartest man I know Vincent, if anyone can speak to Sephiroth it's you"

"What if he blames me for letting Lucrecia die?" Vincent asked

"He won't, Sephiroth knows what happened between you, Lucrecia and Hojo" said Cloud. Tifa and Vincent looked around to see Cloud walking down the path

"How?" Vincent asked

"I told him, after all I told him I wouldn't keep anything from him" said Cloud

"What if he blames me for letting him go insane?" Vincent asked

"Sephiroth holds no blame for the past" said Cloud "He has friends Vincent, what he needs is a parent"

"I don't know" said Vincent "It would be a bit uncomfortable" Tifa shoved Vincent knocking him off the wall. Vincent landed with a dull thud in the front garden of the manor.

"Come on" said Tifa "Get up, you're talking to Sephiroth" Tifa took Vincent by his robotic arm and dragged him towards the manor. Once Tifa and Cloud had dragged the protesting Vincent into the main hall Cloud called out Sephiroth's name and an out of the front door with Tifa leaving Vincent stood in the hall.

"Yes?" Sephiroth called back and when he got no reply he came to see. Vincent was stood in the same spot, rather comically. Sephiroth smiled when he saw Vincent

"You're Vincent, right?" Sephiroth asked. Vincent nodded

"Yes I am" he said. Sephiroth descended the stairs slowly

"And you're my father, right?" Sephiroth asked. Vincent nodded

"Yes I am" said Vincent again.

"I'm guessing Tifa and/or Cloud dragged you in here" said Sephiroth. Vincent nodded

"Yes they did" said Vincent. Seeing as Sephiroth couldn't get a decent conversation started he decided an idea that seemed to have got people to open up

"Are you hungry?" Sephiroth asked

"No, thank you" said Vincent

"I'm going to make some food for myself, are you coming?" Sephiroth asked as he was about to turn and walk to the kitchen.

"Okay then" said Vincent and followed Sephiroth to the kitchen.

While Sephiroth cooked Vincent stood in the doorway and watched him.

"Your mother was a good cook" Vincent commented

"Really?" said Sephiroth "No-one around here seems to know much about her, what was she like?"

"Warm, kind, funny and intelligent; it's from her you get your intelligence" said Vincent.

"According to Cloud, you're pretty smart yourself" said Sephiroth.

"I have my moments" said Vincent

"What happened with you?" Sephiroth asked "Why are you hiding yourself? Cloud never said, I'm guessing it's an important part of your history so you don't have to tell me" Vincent thought hard about it

"It was Hojo" said Vincent "When he found out that me and Lucrecia were…together, he took her, I went and tried to stop him but Hojo shot me point blank and cursed me with perpetual existence"

"And Lucrecia?" Sephiroth asked

"He took her" said Vincent. In his mind Vincent imagined Lucrecia screaming for help. Vincent shook his head

"Is it true that you saw her? That she is still alive" said Sephiroth. Vincent nodded

"Yes" said Vincent "In a cave south-east of here, it's almost inaccessible"

"Could we go one time?" Sephiroth asked turning to face Vincent; back to the cooker.

"Of course" said Vincent "You're one of the few who would be able to get to where she is"

"So we will go sometime?" Sephiroth asked, making sure, he leant against the cooker.

"Yes" said Vincent "If you get your sleeve out of the flames"

"Sleeve?" Sephiroth asked and looked down at his sleeve. Sephiroth cursed diving away from the cooker as his sleeve went up in flames. Vincent threw out his hand and doused Sephiroth's arm in cold water.

"Water Materia" Vincent explained "Helpful around the house as well as on the battle field"

"Did you just make a joke?" Sephiroth asked raising an eyebrow. Vincent shook his head

"Of course not" said Vincent

"It wasn't very good but a good start" said Sephiroth. Sephiroth tipped his ruined food into the bin; it was incredibly burnt, the conversation time he'd had with Vincent and his back turned to the cooker was just enough time to burn the food.

Vincent and Sephiroth walked out into the sunlight that bathed the garden. Vincent looked up at the white clouds and wondered when Sephiroth and him should go and see Lucrecia.

"Do you think mother will come and live with us?" Sephiroth asked Vincent. Vincent had never thought of it; now that Sephiroth, their son, was back to normal would she come and live with them?

"I don't know" said Vincent "You could ask her when we go and see her" Sephiroth and Vincent both heard the front door open and they both turned around.

"Where'd they go?" they heard Cloud say

"The garden?" Tifa tried. Cloud and Tifa emerged in the empty garden

"No" said Cloud and the two of them turned to go back into the house when Cloud was hit on the back of the head by a small stone.

"Damn!" said Cloud rubbing the back of his head and turning back to face the empty garden.

"What?" Tifa asked

"Something just hit me" said Cloud. Tifa looked down the garden; there were no tree's they could hide in.

"A bird or something?" Tifa tried but there were no birds in the sky. Cloud and Tifa turned to walk back into the manor when a clump of tightly packed mud hit him in the back of the head with a wet thud.

"Argh!" said Cloud rubbing the back of his head. Sephiroth laughed as Vincent crouched again to pick up another small clump of dirt.

"Nice throw" Sephiroth told Vincent

"Thank you" said Vincent who hurled the clump of mud at Cloud. Sephiroth and Vincent were crouched hundreds of meters away from Cloud; far enough for Cloud to miss where the mud was coming from. Cloud ducked and the clump of mud narrowly missed him.

"Ha!" he shouted but was hit twice, once in the face and once in the chest. Sephiroth laughed loudly and Vincent smiled; it was nice seeing his son smile. Cloud turned and ran into the house and Tifa laughed; watching him go. Sephiroth threw a clump of mud at Tifa and it collided with her leg.

"Cheeky" she said smiling at the place where Sephiroth and Vincent were probably hiding. Sephiroth and Vincent dropped down and walked over meet Tifa.

"I guess you two are alright?" Tifa asked

"Yes" said Vincent.

"Sephiroth, how does tomorrow sound for that trip to the ancient forest?" Tifa asked. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows

"Tomorrow?" Sephiroth said "It's a bit sudden, we only discussed it this morning"

"The man who's lending us the Chocobo's can only spare them tomorrow or three months from now, they go into elusiveness this time of year because they'll be breeding"

"Alright" said Sephiroth raising his palms "Better stop you there before you go into detail about Chocobo's mating rituals, tomorrow is fine"

"Okay" said Tifa clapping "We have to be outside the town at six"

"Pretty early" said Sephiroth

"I know" said Tifa "Best time though, sunrise is at 6:30, I will see you tomorrow at 6?"

"Yes" said Sephiroth "Anything I need to bring with me?"

"Change of clothes, some hard-wearing clothes also, the forest isn't easy to get through and, if you really don't mind, because I know it won't be easy to bring, the Masamune" said Tifa. At the last item Tifa seemed nervous about asking.

"That will be fine" said Sephiroth nodding "Spare clothes, heavy clothes and sword, easy" Tifa nodded and left.

"Can you help me make a sheath for it?" Sephiroth asked Vincent "I used to be able to make it appear but I don't know how anymore"

"Of course" said Vincent "What are you going to do about durable clothes? All you have is, well, black"

"I do have others, I left some clothes when I came here the first ever time" said Sephiroth

"Good, good" said Vincent "Now let's go make your sheath"


	17. Chapter 17

Cloud was stood in his room watching Tifa walk back to her house, _What did she come here for?_ Cloud thought

"Have you told Cloud yet?" Nanaki asked. Sephiroth and Vincent were making a sheath out of black denim that Sephiroth had found, everything else fell apart. The Masamune was lying among the black cloth while Vincent decided where they should stitch.

"I asked if you had told Cloud yet" Nanaki said to Sephiroth. Nanaki was sat in a chair; out of the way.

"Tifa has" said Sephiroth, though he didn't know that for sure

"You sure about that?" Nanaki asked. Vincent folded over a section of the material

"Stitch that" said Vincent. Sephiroth nodded and began to stitch.

"Like that?" Sephiroth asked, Vincent nodded

"We're going to have to put metal rods in it" said Vincent "Otherwise the top will overbalance the bottom and the sword will tip upside-down and you'll just have the sheath"

"Never saw you as the type of person who'd take up embroidery" said Sephiroth as Vincent got off the bed

"Cheeky" said Vincent "I will be back in a few minutes" Vincent left the room which meant Sephiroth could not avoid Nanaki's questions.

"So are you sure that Tifa has told Cloud?" Nanaki asked.

"No" said Sephiroth "I'm not, but if she did tell him then I know that he will get jealous and make up some excuse to come with us" Nanaki raised an eyebrow

"You _knew_ that Cloud was jealous of Tifa spending so much time with you?" Nanaki said

"Yes" said Sephiroth "I could sense it a mile away"

"And you still went ahead to meet Tifa?" said Nanaki

"Like you said; Tifa isn't the type of person to sway and I'm not interested in her, this is strictly a skill-building expedition" said Sephiroth.

"You heard the conversation me and Cloud had?" Nanaki said

"Yes" said Sephiroth.

"And you never asked me about it" said Nanaki

"There was no need" said Sephiroth "It was pretty clear"

"So tomorrow?" Nanaki asked

"Tifa and I are going to the Forest of the Ancients for some spiritual training" said Sephiroth "Nanaki, promise me you won't tell Cloud where Tifa and I are going tomorrow" Nanaki thought about it then agreed.

"I promise I won't tell Cloud where you and Tifa are going tomorrow" said Nanaki.

"Thank you" said Sephiroth. A minute or so later Vincent came back through the door with some long, thin metal rods.

"These will hold the material in place" said Vincent "And, most importantly, stop it flipping over and you losing your sword" Just under and hour later they had made the sheath that would be worn on his back.

"Now for a strap" said Vincent

"An old belt?" Sephiroth tried

"Good idea" said Vincent "You got any?" Sephiroth shrugged and began to rummage through his drawers. He quickly found a long black belt which they attached to the sheath. Once Sephiroth slipped the sword into the sheath he got to his feet and attached it; it fit perfectly.

"Perfect" said Vincent. Sephiroth reached over and removed the sword from its sheath; but not without making a large slash in the ceiling.

"Oops" said Sephiroth putting the sword back "I forgot how long it really was" Vincent shook his head

"You'll get used to it" said Vincent.

Later that day Vincent left the manor and Nanaki went into the garden to sleep in the sun. Sephiroth remained in his room looking at the Masamune in its sheath and wondered if going with Tifa to the Forest of the Ancients was going to break his friendship with Cloud. In the end Sephiroth decided that Cloud would understand and went to bed early.


	18. Chapter 18

Sephiroth awoke early the next morning and quickly gathered his things before leaving the mansion quietly. It was still dark and so Sephiroth had to be careful not to crash into the garden gate as he left. Once out of the gate Sephiroth set off at a sprint out of the town. When he was out of the town's limits Tifa was already waiting with a pair of Chocobo's. The animals seemed bored and were clawing at the earth.

"Glad you made it" said Tifa.

"Likewise" said Sephiroth "So shall we get going?" Tifa nodded and handed Sephiroth the reigns to one of the Chocobo's. Thankfully Sephiroth remembered how to ride a chocobo and so was not worried when he mounted the animal and they set off at a run across the plains. Sephiroth noticed that Tifa was also a very good rider as she pulled up next to him as they galloped along. The only time they stopped on their journey was when they reached a river so that the Chocobo's could drink.

"What time will we be returning?" Sephiroth asked Tifa.

"I'm not sure" she said "It's alright; I don't think Cloud will worry"

"Nanaki knows" said Sephiroth "So if Cloud does worry Nanaki will probably tell him" Tifa looked up at him in surprise.

"Nanaki knows?" she said

"Its okay, Nanaki has promised not to tell Cloud about where we have gone" said Sephiroth "I trust him" Tifa nodded

"Alright then" she said "I trust you" As they both sat watching the Chocobo's drink the sun came up. Great streaks of gold and orange spread across the dark sky. Sephiroth lay on his back looking up at the sky as brighter colours shot through it until, minutes later, an azure sky hung above them. Tifa prodded Sephiroth hard in the ribs.

"Come on then, let's carry on" she said climbing onto her chocobo. Once Sephiroth was on his they both continued their journey towards the forest of the ancients.

An hour and a half later they arrived at the hill that led up to the forest. The Chocobo's ploughed on just as quick up the mountain side as though it was as flat as the plains. When they stepped through the outer edge of the trees Sephiroth was surprised.

"This is a different part from where Cloud and the others entered" said Tifa to Sephiroth "This place is a lot more peaceful" Sephiroth nodded and followed Tifa as they walked in silence through the trees. From Sephiroth's viewpoint there was nothing but trees in every single direction. Minutes later they came to a hillside that gave them a view of a great valley of golden fields.

"This is impossible" said Sephiroth "The forest isn't this big"

"Well it's ancient" said Tifa "Apparently they used to bewitch their lands to seem an awful lot bigger than it actually was"

"So if we walked to the other side of that valley it would take no time at all?" Sephiroth asked

"No" said Tifa "You would still walk all those miles, which would take about eight hours, but when you get out of the other side you would be able to walk right the way round and come in the way we came in, in about ten minutes"

"Smart people" said Sephiroth

"Yes" said Tifa "From the outside this place is less than a mile in diameter inside it's hundreds of miles in area" Sephiroth and Tifa climbed from their Chocobo's, which they tethered to tree's, before walking into the golden forest. Sephiroth looked around in awe; all the trees were gold, red or orange leafed. After another couple of minutes of walked they came to a small clearing which contained an upturned tree. Tifa and Sephiroth both sat with their backs against the logs with their legs crossed.

"Alright Sephiroth, I want you to concentrate on your hearing, pick out quiet noises and concentrate on them until they are the only things you can hear" said Tifa. Sephiroth concentrated on the sound of the Chocobo's. One of them was clawing at the dirt and so Sephiroth concentrated on the sound of its claws ripping through the dirt. After a minute or so the sound was as clear as Tifa's voice when she had spoken to him. A loud crack echoed from somewhere in the forest making Sephiroth sit up straight and look around; Tifa had gone. Sephiroth quickly got to his feet and called out her name but he got no reply. Gain he heard the twig snap. Sephiroth looked at the ground; there were no footprints. Sephiroth sprinted in the direction he had heard the twig snap. He quickly found it; it was a branch which had been snapped off of a tree and then in half. Sephiroth looked around; there was nothing but forest in every direction. Sephiroth scanned the earth with his eyes but there was nothing again. Guessing where his mentor could have gone Sephiroth began to walk between the trees.

Cloud awoke four hours after Sephiroth had left. Cloud came down the stairs after checking Sephiroth's bedroom. Nanaki was sat in the hallway in deep thought

"Nanaki" Cloud said getting the cat's attention

"Yes Cloud?" Nanaki asked

"Where's Sephiroth gone?" Cloud asked as he took a drink of water from a bottle he had.

"He and Tifa went out for early morning training" said Nanaki. Cloud raised an eyebrow

"Early morning training?" Cloud asked. He then shrugged _Nothing wrong with that_ he thought as he walked into the kitchen to look for something for breakfast.

Sephiroth continued to walk between the trees over an hour later but he had still not found any sign of Tifa. Something whistled through the air and struck Sephiroth hard on the back of the head. Sephiroth fell over and cursed. He looked around at the soft grass he had been walking on for hours; there was a small grey stone. Sephiroth looked around but there was no-one there. With a groan he got back to his feet and began to walk back in the direction he had come. Something dropped from the air and landed on him sending him crashing into the ground.

"Come on Sephiroth" said Tifa who was knelt on his back keeping him pinned against the soft grass

"Argh" Sephiroth managed to mumble. Sephiroth managed to break Tifa's grip on him and rolled over but Tifa backflipped into one of the trees. Sephiroth looked up; he could not reach her. Sephiroth withdrew the Masamune and sliced the tree down bringing it and Tifa down to earth with a crunch. Tifa had managed to throw herself clear and turned to face Sephiroth with her fists raised. Sephiroth resheathed the masamune and walked towards Tifa. Tifa and Sephiroth ran through a quick drill of attacks before Tifa tripped Sephiroth over and tried pinning him but Sephiroth rolled over and pinned Tifa by her arms. Tifa tried struggling but Sephiroth had won. Tifa kneed Sephiroth hard in the kidney and threw him against a tree as she flipped herself onto her feet. Sephiroth kicked Tifa's feet from beneath her and shoved her hard. Tifa collided hard with a tree which broke under the force. Tifa jumped to her feet and punched Sephiroth hard knocking him back. Sephiroth fell over and laughed. Tifa helped him to his feet and they began to walk back towards the Chocobo's.


	19. Chapter 19

It had been four hours since Cloud had asked Nanaki where Tifa and Sephiroth were and so Cloud was again wondering where they had got to. Cloud walked down the stairs and went into the garden to find Nanaki lounging in the sun.

"Nanaki" said Cloud. Nanaki opened one eye

"Yes Cloud?" Nanaki asked.

"Where have Tifa and Sephiroth gone?" Cloud asked. Nanaki thought about it; _He probably won't go after them_ thought Nanaki.

"They are in the Forest of the Ancients" said Nanaki "They left at six this morning and I don't expect them back until late"

"What?" Cloud said loudly

"They are training Cloud" said Nanaki getting to his feet "They need time"

"But they could get attacked!" was Cloud's excuse.

"Sephiroth and Tifa Lockheart getting attacked…What exactly should they be afraid of Cloud?" Nanaki asked "A martial artist and the most powerful person on the planet, what could hurt them?"

"With Sephiroth gone there's room for a bigger evil" said Cloud "That's the way the world works"

"Or you're being paranoid" said Nanaki. Cloud turned on his heel and left the manor to being his journey to the Forest of the Ancients.

Sephiroth and Tifa were sat on a hillside looking down at the valley. They had released the Chocobo's so that they could run about for a bit. Sephiroth and Tifa watched them as they did laps and bounced around in the lower fields.

"Odd creatures" commented Sephiroth.

"What's so odd about them?" Tifa asked "They're happy!" Sephiroth shrugged

"They are still odd" said Sephiroth

"Oh shut up" said Tifa who laughed. Sephiroth stuck his tongue out at Tifa who laughed. Sephiroth lay back on the soft grass and looked up at the clouds as they trailed by. Tifa lay down next to him and watched the clouds with him.

"So what do you get up to?" Sephiroth asked Tifa "Before you came after me"

"We were part of an anti-Shin-Ra association" said Tifa

"Ooh rebellious" said Sephiroth sarcastically. Tifa elbowed him hard in the ribs

"I you don't stop being sarcastically I'll plat your hair, or like Yuffie said 'Dye it ginger!'" said Tifa pouncing on Sephiroth and began to tickle him. Sephiroth laughed and managed to roll Tifa off him. Sephiroth rolled over and began to tickle Tifa who laughed out loud and managed to get to her feet and make a run for it but Sephiroth was quickly after her.

Cloud had managed to borrow a motorbike from one of the villagers. Cloud knew how to ride but he had been surprised when one of the villagers revealed that they owned a motorbike. Cloud was wheeling it through the town when Nanaki came running over.

"Come on, Cloud" said Nanaki "This paranoia is going to break your friendship with both Tifa and Sephiroth" Cloud seemed to falter but continued to walk to the edge. When he arrived at the edge Cloud swung his leg over the bike and sat in its seat. Quickly removing the key from his pocket Cloud ignited the engine. Nanaki put himself in front of the motorbike

"Cloud, don't!" said Nanaki. Yuffie, who had heard them talking, came over

"What's going on?" she asked

"Sephiroth and Tifa have gone training and Cloud is paranoid that something is going on between them" said Nanaki. Cloud ignored Nanaki and revved the bikes engine

"Nanaki, move _now_" said Cloud. Yuffie jumped onto the back of the bike

"I'll come with you" said Yuffie "Keep you out of trouble" Nanaki looked deep into Yuffie's eyes and saw that she was telling the truth. Nanaki stepped aside and Cloud sped away with Yuffie on the back of the bike. Vincent landed behind Nanaki

"So you told Cloud after all" said Vincent

"I did not think he would go after them" said Nanaki "I hoped he would have more self control"

"I will go also, just to make sure Yuffie holds her pledge" said Vincent and vanished with a wave of his red cape.

Tifa and Sephiroth had been running for a while when Tifa stumbled off a cliff and landed in a large blue lake. Sephiroth stopped at the edge and looked down at Tifa who was treading water.

"What's the water like?" Sephiroth asked. Tifa looked around

"It is really warm" said Tifa. Sephiroth set down the Masamune and removed his coat before diving in. Tifa and Sephiroth did a few lengths of the massive lake, which took quite a while, before stopping in the centre.

"Do you think the ancients built this lake?" Sephiroth asked "Or was it here anyway?"

"Look at the cliffs" said Tifa "Clear magical blast patterns, they built this place"

"Wow" said Sephiroth looking around "it's really nice"

"Yes it is" said Tifa swimming towards him "Come on, let's get out"

Cloud and Yuffie pulled up next to the Chocobo's which warked in surprise. Yuffie climbed off first followed by Cloud who removed the keys and pocketed them.

"I wonder where they have gone" said Yuffie

"They can't have got far" said Cloud walking into the forest followed by Yuffie.

"What do you think is going on?" Yuffie asked Cloud "I trust Sephiroth so I doubt he would do anything with Tifa"

"It has got nothing to do with that" said Cloud

"Liar" said Yuffie "I know that's exactly what you're thinking"

"Alright then, maybe that is what I'm thinking" said Cloud "But I want to just make sure, if you are right and nothing is going on then I will leave it at that"

"Good" said Yuffie "Maybe then you will trust Sephiroth"

"I do" said Cloud "But I need to make _sure_"

Tifa and Sephiroth began to trudge through the forest back towards their Chocobo's. Both of them were soaking wet and Sephiroth had to carry both his coat and Masamune I his hands to stop them getting wet. Suddenly Tifa pushed Sephiroth playfully and took off at a sprint. Sephiroth dropped his coat and the Masamune and took off after her. Tifa squealed in delight as she saw Sephiroth sprinting after her.

Cloud and Yuffie looked up when they heard Tifa squeal from somewhere to their right. Cloud and Yuffie took off at a sprint towards them.

Sephiroth quickly gained on Tifa but he stumbled and grabbed her by the legs and they both came crashing to the floor. Tifa rolled onto her back laughing and Sephiroth crawled up next to her so that they were both at the same height.

"We'll have to go back to get my stuff now" he said. Tifa sat up slightly to look at the direction they had come from; they couldn't even see the items, they had covered so much distance.

"Do we have to?" she asked rolling over to face him

"Well yeah" said Sephiroth "After all…" Sephiroth trailed off as they looked into each others eyes "They are…all I have" he said quietly as both got closer to each other. Tifa and Sephiroth closed their eyes as their lips connected. Both their hearts sped up as they kissed. Tifa pushed her body up against Sephiroth's and their kiss got deeper. Footsteps got their attention and they broke apart and looked up to see Cloud and Yuffie stood there.


	20. Chapter 20

Cloud felt completely cold as he watched them get to their feet. Sephiroth had no idea what to say and Tifa felt extraordinarily guilty. Cloud's fists were clenched so tightly he was drawing blood as his nails dug into his palms. The four of them stood there facing each other in complete silence.

"Tifa" said Cloud but that was all he could manage as he was so furious. Sephiroth was looking at the floor; he could not bring himself to look into the eyes of the man who had taken him under his wing, the man who had helped him with everything.

"How could you?" Yuffie asked Sephiroth. Sephiroth looked up and saw tears in Yuffie's eyes. Suddenly it clicked that Yuffie had a soft spot for Sephiroth also. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak and that was when Cloud punched him. Sephiroth hit the ground hard. Cloud was stood over him but he did not hit him again. Cloud turned on his heel and stormed away. Sephiroth ran his hand down the side of his face; it hurt dreadfully. But it was nothing like what he felt inside, he had stabbed Cloud in the back without a single thought about saying no to Tifa. Yuffie turned and went after Cloud while Tifa stood there, frozen to the spot by guilt.

Slowly Sephiroth got to his feet and Tifa ran off after Cloud. Sephiroth was unsure of what to do with himself and so he walked away, back to where his weapon and coat were. Something whooshed above him and Sephiroth looked up to see Vincent dropping through the trees. Vincent landed with a quiet thud ahead of Sephiroth.

"It looks like you have got yourself into quite a quandary" Vincent pointed out. Sephiroth nodded as he picked up his items. He slid his coat on then put the sword on over his coat.

"Do you know what you are going to do next?" Vincent enquired as the two of them walked slowly through the trees, back towards the Chocobo's.

"I don't know" admitted Sephiroth "Like you said; I've got myself into a difficult position"

"You could always try apologising" Vincent tried "But you could sound insincere, so it isn't really the best idea"

"I honestly do not know what's going to happen now" said Sephiroth "I can't stay in the mansion because Cloud will be there and I can't stay in Tifa's home because that will just make things look worse" Vincent rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. He gradually removed his hand from beneath his dark hair.

"I believe, Sephiroth that you should go and see your mother" said Vincent, his crimson eyes locking onto Sephiroth's.

"Where is she?" Sephiroth enquired

"In a cavern not too far from here, if we get your chocobo then we should be there in two hours or so" Vincent deducted as he counted the figures in his head.

"It will be quite a hike though and we may have to use your magic to get across the peak" Vincent informed his son.

"Okay then" said Sephiroth and the two of them took off at a run towards the Chocobo's.

When they arrived Cloud was sat on his bike waiting for Yuffie who was talking to Tifa who was sat against a tree; head in her hands. Sephiroth meaningfully ignored Cloud; he did not feel like being hit again. Sephiroth jumped and pulled himself onto the Chocobo's back followed by Vincent.

"We need to go south" Vincent informed Sephiroth who nodded and pulled away. Tifa looked up at Sephiroth but Sephiroth did not look back as the chocobo took off at a sprint through the trees.

Cloud ignited the engine of his bike with a bellowing roar.

"Are you coming?" He asked Yuffie who had got to her feet

"Okay" said Yuffie who walked over and climbed onto the back of the motorbike. Cloud skidded a hundred and eighty degrees before speeding away without a look back at Tifa who had not moved from her place by the tree.

Cloud remained silent as he tore across the open plains back towards Nibelheim.

"Cloud?" Yuffie whispered in his ear as if she had merely spoken he would not have heard her "What happens now?" Cloud shrugged as they crashed through a stream and came out the other side.

"I don't know" Cloud revealed "I had doubts about Sephiroth's dependability, but I never _truly_ believed he would do that" Yuffie put her hand on his shoulder.

"We will find a way" Yuffie declared. Cloud silently agreed but was unsure of what he would do when he saw Tifa next.

At the bottom of the mountain Vincent and Sephiroth were stood looking up at its peak.

"How do we get up there?" Sephiroth enquired.

"Climb up to the top, then down the other side, across the grassy bank and into the cave" Vincent explained. Sephiroth nodded and the two of them began to climb.


	21. Chapter 21

Barrett was just leaving when the black motorcycle came speeding into Nibelheim almost flattening Barrett and his large bunch of suitcases. Cloud parked the bike and jumped off before storming past Nanaki and pushing the doors of the manor open and disappearing inside. Nanaki came over to Yuffie as did Barrett

"What's goin on?" he asked Yuffie who had stood and watched Cloud dolefully.

"We caught Tifa and Sephiroth" explained Yuffie. Barrett was more than a little surprised while Nanaki merely looked at the floor.

"Her an' that psychopath?" Barrett shouted angrily "What the hell is she thinkin'?"

"Then Cloud hit Sephiroth" Yuffie wept, finally her emotions were running away with her "Then he went away and Tifa followed him but he ignored her and Sephiroth ran off with Vincent and then we left too and now Tifa's out there somewhere alone"

"Yuffie, you are rambling on about something we do not understand" Nanaki pointed out. Yuffie waved her arms in front of her face to try and stop herself from crying; but it was not working.

"Cloud hit Sephiroth after we found Tifa and Sephiroth together, we left so did Sephiroth which means Tifa is out there by herself" explained Yuffie a lot more coherently.

"She will find her way back" Nanaki mused.

Six hours after Cloud and Yuffie had discovered Tifa and Sephiroth together Vincent and Sephiroth finally found their way down the other side of the mountain range. Sephiroth was very nervous to be meeting Lucrecia, his true mother. Above them storm clouds were sending down torrents of rain. Vincent and Sephiroth entered the large cave which was very warm and humid. Mist had filled the cave; it all seemed to congregate around the shining white altar. Slowly Sephiroth and Vincent walked over to it. Sephiroth had the intense feeling that he was in somewhere sacred. The father and son stopped a few meters ahead of the white altar.

"Lucrecia? Are you here?" Vincent called out to the room. His deep voice echoed out almost infinitely. Sephiroth was too nervous to speak as they waited for a reply. The two men stood there in complete silence, even the sound of the storm outside had petered out. The mist began to congregate upon the altar and a thin shape appeared as a silhouette in the almost holy light that emanated from the altar. Nervously, Lucrecia walked forwards until she was stood on the stairs, at the feet of which Vincent and Sephiroth were stood. Not one of the three spoke. Lucrecia stood there looking into Sephiroth's eyes, a composed look on her face, Sephiroth held her gaze.

"Is it really you?" Lucrecia whispered. Sephiroth nodded, he was literally unable to speak or move.

"It is really him" Vincent told her gently. A good-natured smile appeared on Lucrecia's face before she ran forwards and embraced her long-lost son. Lucrecia broke down in tears as she hugged him. Vincent remained there, a touch of a smile on his lips. Sephiroth was unsure of what to do and so he naturally embraced his mother for the first time. Lucrecia stepped back before hugging Vincent. Vincent felt warmth inside for the first time in three decades, he had missed holding Lucrecia. Vincent smiled and embraced her tighter and picked her up playfully as he had done when they had been together. Lucrecia laughed; the playfulness of Vincent had been sorely missed by her. Lucrecia indicated for Sephiroth hug them also. Slowly Sephiroth stepped forwards and hugged both his parents. A feeling of wholeness spread through the three of them. Vincent felt happy as both his son and love were there, Sephiroth felt complete as he now had his true family for the first time ever; Lucrecia was at ease as she had both her son and the man she loved with her, finally. The three of them stood there embracing for a few minutes until Lucrecia stepped back. Even Sephiroth was surprised to find that he too had been crying. Vincent merely stood there, unsure of how to compose his features.

"This" Lucrecia gasped "This is…impossible"

"No, it has just taken too long" Sephiroth whispered having finally got a hold of his voice. Lucrecia held both Vincent and Sephiroth's hands in her own.

"What happens now?" Sephiroth asked as he looked from parent to parent. Vincent looked at Lucrecia with that piercing look she had fallen for.

"We are finally together" Lucrecia laughed softly "I don't want it to end"

"Then come with us" Vincent told her "Come back to the world, with _your_ son" Lucrecia seemed unsure of what she was to do.

"I can't" she cried "I'm not meant to be here, I should be dead"

"As am I" Vincent reminded her as he held her "I awoke and now I have accepted Sephiroth as my son, I have never been happier" Lucrecia looked up at him

"But what if they don't accept me?" Lucrecia asked Vincent.

"I'm a murderer, they have accepted me" Sephiroth joked making both he and Lucrecia laugh; Vincent merely smiled, almost.

"Please, _mother_" Sephiroth said. The word mother seemed to break Lucrecia's fear of the outside world. Lucrecia hugged Sephiroth before taking both his and Vincent's hands. Nervously Lucrecia walked towards the opening of the cave.

It had been seven hours since the forest of the Ancients and a storm was battering Nibelheim which meant Barrett could not leave and so he remained in Tifa's home. Cloud had come over and everyone was sat around the table. Tifa had still not returned and people were staring to worry. Vincent and Sephiroth had not returned either but no-one seemed to care. Cloud was stood in Tifa's bedroom looking out of the window

"I wonder where she is" he told his reflection "She has always been there for me, why can't I accept her and Se…I…Why can't I accept her with someone else?" he finished.

"You loved Aeris" a deep voice informed Cloud. Cloud tilted his head to one side as Barrett came into the room

"You loved Aeris, you can't think that Tifa would wait for you forever" Barrett told him "But she did, whenever anyone spoke about love in 7th heaven your name would always come up and then you returned an' forgot, Tifa loved you but then Sephiroth came along"

"I know that" Cloud informed him "I just never thought she would go with him _and_ I expected Sephiroth would care about me"

"Just as Tifa expected you would care for her" Barrett pointed out "You went for Aeris when Tifa loved you, so she did the same"

"So it was revenge?" Cloud asked as he turned to face Barrett

"No, I don't like the idea of her an' him, don't forget that!" Barrett told him "But maybe, what Nanaki thinks it might be, is somethin' called karma" Cloud laughed

"Karma?" he laughed "I don't believe in it"

"Maybe not, but it's the best explanation" Barrett pointed out as he turned and left the room.

Cloud turned back to the window and wondered where Tifa was, he was worried.


	22. Chapter 22

Tifa stumbled onwards, unable to get hear bearings. The storm had started as she was leaving the forest. At the first flash of lightning and the boom of thunder the chocobo had reared, throwing her off. It had quickly become dark as the storm clouds passed over and now she was stumbling onwards unsure of where exactly she was. The rain was pouring down harder than ever and the wind was freezing in the open grasslands. Tifa was seeking shelter from the storm but she could see no lights in any direction and so she was forced to stumble onwards into perpetual darkness.

Cloud looked up as a shape appeared in the town square. He waited a few seconds to see if he could identify it; he could, it was Sephiroth. Sephiroth, followed closely by Vincent who was covering Lucrecia with his cloak, walked up to the manor doors. Sephiroth slammed the front doors open before welcoming Lucrecia inside. Vincent removed his cloak from around his love and closed the doors to the manor.

"It has not changed much" Lucrecia observed

"It's cleaner" Sephiroth pointed out. Lucrecia smiled and nodded

"It is just that" she said. Sephiroth looked up at the upper floor, it did not seem like Cloud was here, _but does it really matter?_ he thought.

"Are my old clothes still here?" she asked Vincent who nodded

"They are in a chest in the basement" Vincent informed her. Vincent and Lucrecia proceeded up the stairs to the secret entrance. Sephiroth went around igniting the chandeliers in the building and lighting candles. He proceeded up to his room and set the Masamune in the corner before getting undressed and putting on some warmer clothes. He wondered how Tifa and Cloud were getting along, she would have been back hours ago and seeing as Cloud was not in the manor he would probably be over at Tifa's discussing what had happened earlier.

Sephiroth went back down to the kitchen; he was surprisingly hungry and so decided to cook for the three of them. Sephiroth then remembered that Vincent did not eat but he thought he should wait and then asked, and so Sephiroth sat in the kitchen waiting for his parents, _my actual-parents_ he thought, to come back down.

Cloud watched as the three of them entered. Barrett came into the room

"We can stop worrying about Tifa" Cloud informed Barrett "She just got back with Sephiroth and Vincent, apparently Vincent has been keeping the rain off her with his cloak"

"Sounds like she gets along with him" Barrett commented before going back downstairs. Yuffie came into Tifa's bedroom after overhearing what Cloud had said.

"What is it?" Cloud asked her as he turned to face her

"Tifa is staying with Sephiroth then" Yuffie assumed "So is she ever coming back?"

"I don't know" Cloud told her.

After their meal, Vincent was still not hungry; Sephiroth took up his new bed, the couch. Vincent took Sephiroth's bed whilst Lucrecia took Cloud's bed. Silently Sephiroth fell asleep with a smile on his face; he had his parents back.


	23. Chapter 23

The next day the storm continued. The rain and freezing cold winds had continued through the night. Tifa had never managed to find shelter and so continued to stumble onwards but now she was freezing cold and hypothermia was swiftly setting in. Tifa was unsure of where she was when the sun came up but she was too cold to care. Finally she collapsed onto the sodden earth. There were so many things she was wanted to tell Cloud and there were so many things she was yet to find out with Sephiroth but now, it seemed, she was not going to get the chance to find any of them out.

Yuffie and Cloud were sat at the kitchen table wondering what they were going to do. Outside the temperature was well below zero and the rain was constant.

"I think I might go and speak to Tifa" Cloud announced. Yuffie nodded

"I would go and speak to Sephiroth but it does not feel right" Yuffie told Cloud.

Over in the mansion Sephiroth was awoken by the sound of someone moving around with dishes. Sephiroth got off the couch and went to investigate. Lucrecia was wide awake and cleaning pots.

"Hey!" Sephiroth said startling her

"I'm sorry if I woke you, I just had to get these pots done" Lucrecia explained

"You have been living in a cave for god knows how long, you should be resting" Sephiroth told her as he lifted the dishes from her hands.

"I have had enough rest" Lucrecia said smiling up at her son "You cooked, you are not meant to do the dishes"

"How about I do the dishes and stop all of the arguments?" Vincent thought from the doorway. Lucrecia looked up and smiled.

"How are you today?" Vincent asked Lucrecia

"Better" Lucrecia told him "How did you both sleep?" she enquired

"Fine" they both replied. Lucrecia smiled at both of them.

A knock at the door drew their attention

"I shall get it" Vincent announced and began to walk over

"It may be Tifa, it would be better if I get it" Sephiroth told Vincent as he walked past him and opened the door. Cloud was stood outside, not looking all too happy to see Sephiroth.

"I have come to talk to Tifa" Cloud told Sephiroth.

"Then try her house" Sephiroth replied. Cloud pushed past Sephiroth and walked into the hall

"I saw her come here last night with you and Vincent, so don't lie to me" Cloud said. Lucrecia and Vincent came in from the kitchen. Cloud stood there stunned

"Tifa's really not here?" he asked Sephiroth

"I thought she came straight back to her house" Sephiroth explained

"I thought she came back here with you" Cloud told Sephiroth. The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds.

"She's still out there" Sephiroth said aloud finally. Cloud went for the door while Sephiroth went to get his coat.

"Cloud, wait" Sephiroth said "I am truly sorry but we should put our differences aside" Cloud nodded silently

"You can fly, there is no better time than now to try" Cloud told Sephiroth. Sephiroth grabbed his coat from the dining room before leaving the manor without a word of goodbye. Cloud went and borrowed the motorbike again while Sephiroth stood no the outskirts of the town trying desperately to fly. He jumped and concentrated but never got anywhere. Cloud pulled up next to him

"If it helps, you used to sort of concentrate energy underneath you and sort of…take off" Cloud said before speeding away. Sephiroth looked at his feet and tried it. The ground beneath his feet shimmered momentarily but suddenly stopped. Sephiroth did it again but made the disk of energy bigger. He felt himself begin to float but then the disk vanished; he had to learn to control it properly. Closing his eyes Sephiroth concentrated_ You have to do this to save Tifa!_ He told himself. As though her name inspired energy the disk erupted into life and Sephiroth was sent shooting up into the clouds.

Cloud looked back just in time to see Sephiroth rocket away into the clouds. _He will be able to cover a lot more ground_ Cloud thought as he sped across the grasslands looking for Tifa, now it was a race against time to try and save the brunette.


	24. Chapter 24

Sephiroth arrived back at Nibelheim for some food; he did not have long but if he did not eat enough he would pass out in mid-flight.

"Any news?" Barrett asked. Everyone had come over and were staying in the manor, just in the hope that they found Tifa. Sephiroth shook head; he was freezing cold. Yuffie threw a blanket they had been warming over a fire while Lucrecia came from the kitchen with a drink that Sephiroth needed to drink every hour in order to keep his energy levels sky high so that he could continue to search for Tifa. After less than two and a half minutes Sephiroth sprinted back out of the door and jumped before shooting off into the stormy clouds.

"They have been out there for hours" Yuffie sighed "Cloud will be freezing by now, he has not returned once"

"I have asked Sephiroth to send Cloud back for a rest" Vincent informed the ninja "Once Cloud returns I will go out while he rests"

"I should be out there" Barrett argued, he had said this many times but Vincent forbade him from going out, hence it being an argument.

"You are not as strong as Cloud, Sephiroth or I, this weather would kill you" Vincent repeated for the eight time.

"Stop saying that!" Barrett ordered but he knew Vincent would shrug his order off. A light blasted along the window of the manor as Cloud pulled in. One of the town's folk ran over with fuel for the motorcycle.

"Any news?" he shouted over the wind as he filled the tank. Cloud shook his head; he was too cold for words. Cloud stumbled up the path before passing out when he left the freezing outside into the sweltering manor. Barrett caught him and carried him up to the bedroom while Vincent disappeared out of the door and into the pitch-black day.

Sephiroth landed in the forest of the Ancients; it had been the last place anyone had seen her. When he saw that the chocobo was not tethered to the tree he took off into the rain clouds. Sephiroth was doing ever decreasing circles around the continent; He knew that he would come across her sooner or later. He could feel his energies draining continuously as he flew in a massive circle.

Vincent bounded from tree to tree and took great leaps across short distances but even his enhanced vision was incredibly impaired by the storm. He looked up and, momentarily, picked up Sephiroth's figure as it shot through the sky but a second later it had vanished. Vincent continued to bound and leap.

Cloud groaned, he tried getting to his feet but was drained of energy.

"You are far too tired to go back out there" Lucrecia informed him as she came over with the drink she had created for Sephiroth also. Cloud had only been back once which was how he knew of Lucrecia and that everybody had come to the mansion.

"How long have I been out?" he enquired

"Three hours" Lucrecia told him as she fed him the drink through a straw.

"Anything?" he asked her. Lucrecia shook her head

"Sephiroth's getting impatient" Lucrecia informed Cloud "He has been back twice, he should be back soon, the problem is we are running out of items to make this drink and so you will have to pick up the search once you have rested properly"

"Can't we try something else to keep us awake?" Cloud begged

"No" Lucrecia shook her head "Your bodies will start rejecting it if you carry on for too long without a rest, I am amazed any of you have lasted this long, now go back to sleep" Cloud tried clambering out of his bed but fell of the edge instead. Lucrecia helped him back into it slowly

"Go to sleep Cloud, you will need your energy to take over when Vincent gets back" Lucrecia ordered. Cloud was thinking of arguing but was interrupted by the bang of the front doors; Sephiroth was back. Again he was draped in a hot towel as he drank his drink.

"Anything?" Yuffie asked as she took one of his hands

"Nothing" Sephiroth whispered; the cold was affecting his voice after fourteen hours of almost constant flying. He almost fainted with energy loss but ignored it and used Cure 3 on himself. Lucrecia came down the stairs to meet him again

"Where are you up to now?" Lucrecia asked her son.

"Barely in between Nibelheim and the Gold Saucer, I should finish on this next run" Sephiroth reported

"I don't think you will survive one more round" Yuffie told him as she hugged him to try and warm him up but Sephiroth felt cold inside; it was his fault Tifa was out there. Sephiroth used more Cure 3's until his energy levels maxed out. Sephiroth went back to the door and flew away.

"I'm really glad we have Sephiroth" Cid commented as he closed the front doors "When he first came back I did not want to trust him because of everything he did but I'm glad he is here 'cos without him we would never find Tifa, that's one good son you have there" Cid told Lucrecia who beamed "Very tough and never gives up"

"Just like his father" Lucrecia told Cid who nodded.

Two and a half hours later Vincent crashed through the front doors sopping wet and dragging Sephiroth who was splattered with mud and was bleeding tremendously. Lucrecia cried out as she saw the state Sephiroth was in.

"What the hell happened?" Barrett growled as he came running over

"He must have passed out" Vincent guessed "How long has he been without his drink?"

"Over two and a half hours" Lucrecia told Vincent. Sephiroth was laid flat on the floor while Vincent and Lucrecia used cure on him to heal his wounds.

"Where was he?" Yuffie asked Vincent who was wiping his face with a towel

"Near the mountain, I spotted him as I was coming back, he hit the cliff at a hell of a speed" Vincent told them.

"Let's get him to bed" Cid said picking up Sephiroth by his arms while Vincent lifted him by his feet and Barrett took the strain of his torso.

"Heave bastard for someone so slim" Barrett commented as they carried him up the stairs and into his room. They stripped him down to his boxers before sliding him under the blanket.

"He's freezing" Yuffie cried out as she touched his skin.

"Get some blankets and as many candles as you can carry" Vincent ordered to Cid who nodded and sprinted down the stairs into the dining room.

"What's wrong?" Yuffie asked Vincent who was hurrying around the room throwing everything he could over Sephiroth. By the time Cid returned with candles Sephiroth was covered by more than twenty jumpers, four coats and six extra blankets, Vincent even shoved pillows under the blanket around Sephiroth. Yuffie slid under the blanket and hugged Sephiroth close to add some extra heat. Vincent closed the door and the room began to heat up very quickly. Cid placed the candles around the bed on chairs; after all he did not want the bed catching fire as that would be _too_ hot. Lucrecia shuffled into the room carrying chocolate for her son. Vincent nodded

"Good idea" Vincent declared. Slowly they fed it to Sephiroth who did not seem to want to swallow and so Vincent was forced to put it in a dish and melt it with fire 3 before pouring it down his son's throat; without even letting it cool down.

They all waited anxiously to see if the colour returned to his cheeks but he remained a dull grey, his lips a deep blue. Vincent and the others left the room, all except for Yuffie who had fallen asleep under the sweltering covers.

"What is going on?" Cloud managed to groan as he stumbled out of his bedroom and crashed into the banister, the only reason he did not go head first over them was because Vincent managed to catch him.

"Sephiroth crashed" Vincent informed him "It would seem that he has hypothermia"

"We've got trouble!" Nanaki announced as he stared out of the windows. The rain had now turned to snow and the outer temperature was plummeting.

Tifa lay on her side in a pool of ice-cold water as the snow began to fall. It had been hours since she had passed out and was now slipping into the realm of the dead, if she were to remain outside for much longer she would die. Swiftly she was buried by the snow and, less than three minutes later; there was nothing to be seen of the martial artist.


	25. Chapter 25

Sephiroth's eyelids fluttered slightly and he looked down at his side to see the slumbering samurai; Yuffie Kisaragi. Yuffie's arm was across his stomach rather tightly as though she was not willing to let go of him; even in her sleep. Sephiroth looked out of the window and saw it was snowing and his heart dropped. The door opened and Lucrecia walked in with more hot chocolate for her son. Lucrecia smiled when she saw that he was awake; his eyes glittered in the candlelight. Sephiroth tried speaking but made an odd croaking sound.

"You won't be able to talk for a while" Lucrecia told her son as she bent down and kissed him on the cheek. Lucrecia removed many of the items keeping Sephiroth warm as it would only make him uncomfortable. Yuffie stirred and she opened her eyes faintly.

"You're awake" she smiled before drifting off back to sleep. Lucrecia sat down on a chair facing Sephiroth.

"We have had to stop the search, it got too dangerous" Lucrecia informed Sephiroth who nodded slightly. Sephiroth shot her with a questioning look

"Ah…you fell from the sky according to your father, you hit the mountain side with such force you were sent crashing back until you hit the earth" Lucrecia answered an unspoken question. Sephiroth nodded

"Cloud is next door, he's in bad shape too" Lucrecia told him, Lucrecia got to her feet and tucked Sephiroth in tighter

"Now sleep my lonely angel" she whispered kissing him on his forehead. Sephiroth slipped back into the dream world as Tifa crossed the void into the netherworld.

A man crunched through the snow until he tripped over something which brought him crashing face-first into the snow. The white haired male turned around and lifted Tifa from the snow and into his arms.

"Now what happened to you?" he asked her. The man covered her body in a robe and began to carry her away into the snowstorm.

The next day Sephiroth awoke to find Yuffie awake in his bed and staring at the side of his head.

"Morning" he choked.

"Good morning" she whispered back "I am glad to see that you're back" Sephiroth could see that she had been crying not long before. He would have reached up to touch her hand his arms not been immobile. He did not even have enough strength to move the quilt which was pinning him down.

"Can you tell me why?" Yuffie asked Sephiroth.

"Tell you what?" Sephiroth enquired

"You and Tifa" Yuffie told him "You knew Tifa was Cloud's, or at least you should have guessed" Sephiroth shook his head

"I don't know Yuffie, I honestly don't know" Sephiroth muttered.

Tifa opened her eyes slowly and was aware of someone with white hair standing some feet away with his back to her. The sound of a crackling fire filled the space but she was familiar with the sound of a howling storm outside.

"Sephiroth?" Tifa muttered.

"That insane man who tried destroying the planet?" the stranger quipped as he came over to tend to Tifa "Hardly, my name is Kadaj miss"

Authors Note: Ladies and Gents I would like to introduce you to my interpretation of the real Kadaj. Seeing as Sephiroth is alive Kadaj does not need to turn into him and so has no destiny. Also, because Sephiroth is alive and his cells did not go into the planet, Kadaj has no great power because Geostigma does not exist, just thought I would clear that up before I continued

"How long have I been out?" Tifa asked the young man who was treating one of her frostbite wounds.

"I am unsure, miss" Kadaj told her. Green magic congregated at his fingertips as he used the basic cure magic to heal her wounds.

"Is the storm still going?" Tifa managed to asked before she passed out. Kadaj wiped some hair out of her mouth as he gave her a drink from a water bottle.

"Yes, miss" he whispered to her as she fell asleep again.


	26. Chapter 26

Sephiroth stroked Yuffie's hair quietly, Yuffie smiled as he did so. The two of them were trapped in that bed, or at least Sephiroth was and Yuffie was not going to go anywhere while he was incapacitated. They had been in that bed now for two days, the only time Sephiroth had moved was when he had needed to pee. According to Lucrecia Sephiroth needed to stay hot for a week, until his body could generate enough heat to sustain him. Sephiroth thought that this may have been a lie created by Yuffie to keep him in bed but the storm outside was tremendous and so he was hardly able to go outside. Yuffie sneezed startling Sephiroth

"Yuffie!" Sephiroth shouted at her making her giggle

"You haven't shouted at me in ages" she giggled

"I've never been sneezed on either!" he told her. The door opened and Vincent stuck his head into the room.

"Sounds like you are getting better" Vincent told Sephiroth who nodded "But still, another five days to go" he added before leaving them alone.

"Come back father!" Sephiroth called out sarcastically.

Vincent and Lucrecia were stood in the kitchen talking about Sephiroth when Cloud stumbled into the room.

"You are meant to be in bed" Lucrecia reminded Cloud while prodding him with a hot spatula.

"Oww" Cloud whimpered rubbing his arm "Where is everyone?"

"Barrett, Nanaki and Cid are in the living room and Yuffie is in Sephiroth's bed" Lucrecia listed

"Sneezing on Sephiroth" Vincent added. Cloud nodded solemnly

"Any news?" Cloud enquired

"No, I believe she did find shelter after all" Vincent told Cloud

"Why?" Cloud asked him

"If she had…died, then we would have found a body but there was not one" Vincent explained

"So where could she be?" Cloud asked. Vincent shook his head

"I do not know" Vincent told him "But when the storm clears I will go and ask at all the houses on the continent and I will even check all of the caves seeing as it is Tifa we are talking about" Cloud nodded and thanked Vincent before he went back upstairs and collapsed onto his bed.

Tifa awoke and looked around. The martial artists cave-pal was asleep with his feet resting upon a rock. Tifa tested her legs for stability; they did seem steady enough. Slowly Tifa managed to get back onto her feet and walk around the cave.

"I'm glad to see you are able to move around" Kadaj told her. Tifa turned back to him and smiled

"Me too, I never thanked you for saving me" Tifa noticed

"Its alright, if I hadn't had saved you who would I speak to in this cave?" Kadaj asked her.

"True, but still thanks" Tifa told him with a smile. Kadaj nodded

"Apology accepted" he told her. Tifa went over to the makeshift bed and sat down facing Kadaj who had got to his feet and was now stretching.

"How did you end up here?" Tifa wondered aloud.

"I was out walking from Costa Del Sol when the storm first began, I was very far out" Kadaj explained "I took shelter for the first two nights of the storm and on the third day, during that blizzard, I came across you, rather literally"

"What do you mean?" Tifa enquired

"Those bruises on your right are from me tripping over you, you were buried under more than a foot of snow" Kadaj laughed.

"So then, Where are you from originally?" Tifa asked him

"I am originally from Mideel, and yourself?"

"Nibelheim" Tifa told him "Where are we?"

"A materia cave, north east of Corel" Kadaj informed her. Tifa nodded

"So how old are you?" Tifa wondered

"Guess" Kadaj said smiling

"Twenty something?" Tifa guessed

"Nope" Kadaj laughed shaking his head

"Late teens? Eighteen?" Tifa guessed. Kadaj nodded

"That's the one, miss" Kadaj laughed "How about you? I am guessing about…twenty-two?" Tifa laughed

"Exactly right!" she said laughing and clapping.

Back in Nibelheim Cloud was stumbling around the house only keeping himself busy. He desperately wanted to go out and search for Tifa but he could not even leave the manor because of the tremendous amounts of snow. In the dining room Barrett was sat by himself mourning Tifa's passing but Cloud did not want to accept it, not just yet.


	27. Chapter 27

It had been seven days sine Tifa had vanished and the storm had finally begun to slow. Sephiroth was on his final bed-day. Just like the six days before he just lay there with Yuffie talking.

"After spending a week in bed with you, I actually find you quite bearable" Sephiroth told her making her smile.

"I still want to take off your boxers" Yuffie informed Sephiroth for the millionth time, he had never gotten changed after they had stripped him of his wet clothes a week before.

"No" Sephiroth told her, Yuffie grinned.

"Come on, like you said you've been in bed with me for a week" Yuffie trailed off

"No" Sephiroth told her.

"I'll start shouting" she warned. Sephiroth merely prodded her in the ribs making her laugh. Yuffie settled down again and Sephiroth went back looking out of the window at the incredible amounts of snow. Sephiroth felt a flood of sorrow for Tifa's demise. Sephiroth moved lower in the covers so that he and Yuffie were at the same height. Sephiroth pulled the cover tighter so that he was more comfortable before falling asleep.

Elsewhere in the house Cloud was still shuffling about, thankfully he had gone to sleep once in the last few days and so he was not crazy, yet.

"Lucrecia, how much more of that stuff can you make?" Cloud asked Lucrecia as she came out of the dining room where she had been talking with Vincent and Barrett.

"About two glasses" Lucrecia said "But you are not going out there"

"I was actually hoping Sephiroth could defrost the garden so I could go out for a small walk, these four walls are boring me" Cloud told her.

"I will go ask him" Lucrecia asked "But don't get your hopes up"

Sephiroth looked over as his mother entered the room

"You're done" Lucrecia said "And Cloud already has a request"

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked sitting up

"He would like you to defrost the garden so he can go for a walk" Lucrecia giggled "You're a human de-froster" Sephiroth squinted

"I will be down in a minute" Sephiroth informed her. Lucrecia nodded and left the room. Sephiroth quickly retrieved his dry clothes and put them on before leaving the room. He found Cloud sat by the back door, legs crossed and looking at the floor.

Sephiroth and Cloud had not spoken at all in a week and so Sephiroth said nothing. He went over to the door and pushed it but it was frozen shut. Sephiroth kept his palms in place and began to warm up the wood. The two of them remained in silence until Sephiroth shoved the door open.

"Thanks" Cloud mumbled and shuffled out into the garden.

"It was nothing" Sephiroth replied, trying to start a conversation with Cloud but Cloud ignored him and began to walk towards the bottom of the garden. Sephiroth watched Cloud walk down the garden for a few seconds until he heard Yuffie come running down the stairs.

"You're up!" she exclaimed

"No I'm not" Sephiroth answered. Yuffie glared at him before taking his hand and dragging him into the garden.

"Wait!" Sephiroth quickly said. He ran back into the manor and grabbed a woollen version of his coat, his thick winter coat, before walking out into the snow.

Cloud walked down to the bottom of the garden, near to the cliff face which was warm to the touch because of the Mako being pumped through it. Cloud sat with his back to the cliff and looked up at the snow-covered manor. He wished Tifa could have been there with him; she would have loved to see the manor the way it looked now. Silently he put his hand into his pocket and removed his phone, again he opened it and its face glowed a light blue. It was at maximum battery, but that was not what was important to Cloud. He sighed when he saw that he still had no signal. Something about the storm was affecting everything around them, including telephones. Cloud was about to snap it shut when a single bar appeared. Cloud quickly held the phone up and another two bars appeared. Getting to his feet quickly Cloud flicked through his phonebook until he found Tifa's number. Cloud pressed the call button and put the phone against his ear. Cloud's heart-rate rocketed when it began to ring. Suddenly it was cut off by a beeping, Cloud looked at his phone; he had just ran out of signal. Cloud swore and snapped his phone shut angrily.

Sephiroth and Yuffie walked over a bench that was situated under a large willow tree that had survived Tifa's purge of the garden. Sephiroth quickly wiped the bench down with heat before they sat down. Yuffie settled in his arms with her head against his chest. Sephiroth looked up at the snow-covered branches; his enhanced vision could pick up the perfect shape of the snowflake if he concentrated hard enough. Yuffie shifted slightly so that she could wrap herself in his coat too. The two of them watched Cloud who was pacing at the bottom of the garden holding his phone. A great cracking noise drew their attention to Cloud when the ground beneath Cloud's feet disappeared.

Sephiroth jumped to his feet, startling Yuffie, and sprinted down to the hole. Sephiroth skidded onto his knees as he reached the hole. There seemed to be a never ending cavern beneath the garden. Cloud had hit a ledge and was now dangling perilously over the pit. Sephiroth dropped into the hole and began to edge his way across the ledge so that he could reach Cloud. His visibility was near enough nothing, the only light came from the hole in the ceiling.

"How brilliant, stuck in a hole" he heard Cloud mutter. Yuffie, Vincent and Lucrecia then appeared at the entrance to the hole

"Cloud, Sephiroth are you alright?" Yuffie called

"Not just yet" Sephiroth replied as he edged even closer to Cloud. Sephiroth tried reaching out but he was still too far. The ledge shook dangerously

"You should go back" Cloud told Sephiroth "We don't know how deep this thing is, we don't need both of us dying"

"They would probably think I pushed you off to get rid of you" Sephiroth told him. Cloud laughed despite hanging perilously.

"True" Cloud admitted. Sephiroth reached out and grabbed Cloud's hand, which was exactly when the ledge gave way.


	28. Chapter 28

Tifa was surprised when her phone rang; she had completely forgotten about it. Quickly she fished it from her pocket but it got disconnected before she could answer. Tifa smiled broadly when she saw that Cloud had been trying to contact her but she hated the fact that she too was out of signal in her little cave. Kadaj was sat on the other side of the cave cooking some food he'd had in his bag over a small magically created fire made by Tifa.

"I am guessing you don't have any bowls or plates" Tifa said. Kadaj smiled

"I have cups" he informed her and waved a pair of large mugs at her. Tifa giggled and went to sit by Kadaj as he finished cooking the sausage and beans. The two of them sat on either side of the fire eating from their cups with plastic forks. Up until that day they had survived on snacks that he'd had.

"Why did you bring so much food with you?" Tifa asked him over their meal

"I get hungry" Kadaj told her simply

"You were only going out for the day, you have food for an entire week here" Tifa exclaimed

"Like I said, I get hungry" Kadaj grinned. Tifa laughed and continued to eat.

"So have you any family?" Tifa enquired

"Two brothers" Kadaj said "How about you? Any family of your own?"

"No…just my friends" Tifa wondered how many of her friends were still friends with her after what had happened between her and Sephiroth.

"You seem somewhat…sad" Kadaj noted aloud.

"Just some problems back in my real life" Tifa told him

"Not your cave life?" Kadaj joked making Tifa laugh again

"No, no problems in my cave life" she reassured him "Can I ask…where you learnt your magic skills?"

"You mean my limited magic skills" Kadaj joked "I just picked them up when I began travelling"

"Alright" Tifa said nodding

"How about yours? You have pretty good magic" Kadaj said

"Me and my friends practiced together and just built up our skill over time" Tifa explained.

"When you first awoke you called me Sephiroth" Kadaj reminded her "So how did that come about? Most people would have shouted his name and panicked, you didn't"

"Oh…didn't I?" Tifa said trying to cover up the fact that she knew him "I guess it's just the whole kinky bad guy fantasy" the two of them laughed together.

"Scary thought" Kadaj joked. A few minutes later they finished their meal. Tifa stretched and yawned before getting to her feet and walking over to the frozen doorway of the cave. The brunette placed her ear close to the snowy door and was amazed that the sound of the storm had gone.

"I think it's cleared up outside" Tifa informed Kadaj. He jumped to his feet and ran over to listen; he agreed.

"Stand back" Tifa said clenching her fist.

"If you think you can break that" Kadaj started and Tifa punched it, shattering the icy doorway. Tifa grinned at him

"If you think you can break that then good on you" Kadaj finished, Tifa guessed he had changed the ending of the sentence. Kadaj and Tifa quickly packed up their things and stepped out into the glaring sunlight.

All across Costa del Sol and the mountains around them were covered by a thick layer of snow.

"Pretty" Tifa noted.

"So where are you off too now?" Kadaj asked her as he adjusted the straps on his backpack.

"Nibelheim, I have friends there that should be missing me" Tifa told him. Kadaj nodded

"Alright, I guess I will see you around" he said holding out his hand. Tifa shook his hand and he began to walk towards Costa del Sol while Tifa began to walk towards the mountains.

"Kadaj!" Tifa called to him. Kadaj turned

"Yes?" he replied

"Fancy coming to Nibelheim? After all you did save me" she said. Kadaj smiled and ran over to meet her.

"Okay" he said "When the upper atmosphere clears I will call my brothers and they can pick me up" The two of them set off across the snowy plains together towards Nibelheim.

Back under Nibelheim Sephiroth grabbed Cloud by his collar as he created a disk of energy to stop them hitting the ground at a phenomenal speed. Sephiroth dropped Cloud lightly with a dull thump. Sephiroth dropped his energy ring and landed softly. Cloud created a ball of light in his palms that lit up the cavern. It stretched up for miles and they could not see the top, while on the floor they were stood near a large lake of water.

"What now?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud shrugged, he still did not want to talk to Sephiroth but stuck in a cave he probably would not have a choice.

"We need to find a way out for one" Cloud said

"How about I fly back up and see if I can find a way out?" Sephiroth asked

"Knock yourself out" Cloud said. Sephiroth shot upwards into the darkness of the cavern leaving Cloud on his own.


	29. Chapter 29

Kadaj and Tifa reached Nibelheim easily and many of the townsfolk were glad to see that she was okay.

"Cloud will be glad to know you're alright" one old woman said; these words made Tifa feel worse. Tifa was about to knock on the manor's doors when she heard shouting in the garden. Swiftly she shoved the doors open and ran through into the garden followed by Kadaj who knew nothing about where he was or where he was going. Tifa and Kadaj went running out into the garden surprising Lucrecia, Vincent and Yuffie.

"You're alive!" Yuffie said

"Yeah, what's the shouting about?" Tifa said quickly

"Sephiroth and Cloud just fell down there" Vincent informed her. Kadaj dropped his bag and began to empty it quickly. Tifa was surprised to see that he had some rather professional climbing equipment.

"I can go down quite far" Kadaj said "Then I can drop some flares to see just how far down the cave goes"

"You don't even know who you're saving!" Tifa told him

"Sephiroth, I'm guessing it's the one I'm thinking of and Cloud, the Soldier from 1st class, correct?" Kadaj guessed. Tifa nodded

"How do you know Cloud?" Tifa asked him

"I'm part of Soldier, or at least I was until it got disbanded" Kadaj attached the end to the rock face before dropping into the hole and out of sight.

"You seem to have a thing for heroes" Yuffie said tartly. Tifa ignored her; she just wanted to know if they were okay.

As Sephiroth was flying upwards Cloud was having a look around the cave. There was a small fissure that he crawled through into a larger room. Cloud created another ball of light and threw it. He was at the edge of a small cliff that dropped into a large pit. As his sphere fell towards the ground it lit up a miraculous sight. Cloud smiled as many ideas formed in his mind about what all this could give him.

Kadaj reached the end of the rope and so withdrew a flare. He looked down; he did not seem to be any closer to the ground. He ignited the end of the flare and threw it into the darkness and watched as it fell. He started as Sephiroth appeared next to him in mid-air.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked

"The man who's meant to be saving you" Kadaj told him "Where's Cloud?"

"He is back down there, how far are you from the surface?" Sephiroth enquired

"Not very far" Kadaj explained "Look" he pointed to a small white light which was the hole.

"Okay, I will go get Cloud and then meet you at the top" Sephiroth told Kadaj before he dropped back into the darkness. Kadaj shrugged and began to climb back up the rope.

Tifa held out her hands and Kadaj took them and the young woman pulled him out.

"Well they are alive, Sephiroth just went back down to get Cloud and they should be up in a bit" Kadaj explained to the group of people. Back in the cavern Cloud had crawled back out from his find and waited patiently for Sephiroth. Two or three minutes later Sephiroth landed

"Ready?" he asked Cloud. Cloud nodded

"Oh yes" Cloud muttered. Sephiroth turned his back to Cloud

"Climb on then; I doubt you would like to be carried" Sephiroth told him. Cloud put his arms around Sephiroth's neck and Sephiroth shot upwards with Cloud.


	30. Chapter 30

When Cloud and Sephiroth arrived back on the surface they were very surprised to see Tifa there.

"Tifa!" Sephiroth exclaimed. Tifa ran forwards and hugged both of them.

"I missed you both" she cried hugging them tightly.

"Where were you? I tried calling you" Cloud told her.

"I know" Tifa said, tears spilling down her cheeks "I never got to the phone in time and I couldn't call you back"

"I know" Cloud said hugging her tightly.

"At least you're back safe" Sephiroth told her. Tifa stepped back from them

"Oh, this is Kadaj, he saved me" Tifa explained to them. Kadaj shook Cloud's hand then Sephiroth's.

"I guess thanks are in order" Sephiroth said smiling.

"Yeah, thanks" Cloud told Kadaj who merely nodded

"It was nothing" Kadaj said. Yuffie ran over and threw herself into Sephiroth's arms.

"I thought you had died too" she whispered into his coat.

"It would take a lot more than that to kill me" Sephiroth told her. Tifa looked back at the others then started

"Lucrecia?" Tifa wondered. Lucrecia nodded and beamed

"I don't think we've had the privilege" she said. Tifa stepped forwards to shake her hand. A loud crack echoed around the garden and Tifa hit the snow covered floor. Tifa cursed while Lucrecia merely rubbed her bruised knuckles

"That's for playing my son and Cloud against each other" Lucrecia told Tifa before storming off. Nanaki was trying to keep himself composed that had been one of the funniest things he had ever seen. Barrett held out his hand and helped Tifa to her feet.

"Well ya pissed Lucrecia off, I thought that was impossible" Barrett noted. Tifa cursed and rubbed her jaw where Lucrecia had punched her. Tifa was amazed to find that her eyes were watering but she was not sure if that was from the punch or from the guilt of causing an argument between Sephiroth and Cloud. Tifa turned to Cloud but he had already gone into the mansion. Cloud walked into the kitchen but quickly stepped out when he saw Sephiroth and Yuffie kissing.

"It was only a matter of time" Lucrecia whispered in Cloud's ear. Cloud grinned and walked towards the kitchen again, rather noisily. When he reached the kitchen Yuffie and Sephiroth were on opposite sides of the kitchen.

"Sephiroth" Cloud said putting out his hand "I guess an apology is in order"

"Yes, from me" Sephiroth said bowing low to Cloud "I overstepped the mark when I kissed Tifa, I knew that you and she had past and it was a stab in the back from me"

"Yeah well, I apologise for, you know, hitting you back there" Cloud told Sephiroth.

"I deserved it" Sephiroth laughed. Cloud and Sephiroth shook hands.

"So then, how is this going to work?" Lucrecia enquired as she entered the kitchen "Whose living where?"

"I have my mom's old home" Cloud told her "Someone can live there with me if they like"

"I gotta get back to Midgar" Barrett explained as he entered the kitchen with Nanaki and the others, Tifa kept well back.

"Lucrecia, Sephiroth and I can live here, but if anyone needs a spare room, we could always convert the safe room and the basement" Vincent told the room.

"May I stay here? I find it, peaceful" Nanaki enquired as he looked up at Lucrecia

"I would not have it any other way, Nanaki" Lucrecia said kneeling down so that they were at the same height. Nanaki nodded in thanks.

"Can I stay?" Yuffie asked Lucrecia. Lucrecia beamed

"Of course you can, we need someone to keep Sephiroth in check" Lucrecia smiled and Sephiroth groaned sarcastically

"Oh, please no" he joked making Yuffie hit him in the stomach.

"I gotta get back to Rocket Town, Shera will be will be worried sick 'bout me" Cid told the room.

Tifa wiped the tears from her eyes, she felt like an outsider and so she turned and walked out of the manor and over to her house. Tifa closed the door once she was inside and placed her back against. In despair Tifa slid down the door and put her head against her knees as tears poured down her face again. In her heart she felt worse than she had done when Cloud left when they were kids. Wiping her tears and trying to compose herself Tifa got back to her feet and stumbled up the stairs before throwing herself onto her bed. In actual fact this made her feel an awful lot worse and she cried softly as she recognised Cloud's scent. Cloud had spent so much time in her room that his aftershave was clearly present in the air. Tifa could not help the tears and so she plunged her head into the pillow to try and mute her piteous whimpers.


	31. Chapter 31

The next day was a glorious day, the sky was clear and the sun was warm as it bathed down upon the town of Nibelheim. Tifa sat on the settee looking out of the window at Kadaj as he pulled away with his two brothers. He had tried to say goodbye to Tifa but she did not want him to see her as she was and so she ignored the door. Barrett and id had also left but Tifa could not bring herself to say goodbye to them either. The young martial artist went into the bathroom and washed herself down but even the hot water did not thaw the ice that now encased her heart. As she got out of the shower and got changed there was a knock at the door. Tifa looked out through the window and was amazed to see Cloud stood there. Tifa ran down the stairs and threw the door open. Usually she would have thrown herself onto him with happiness but she guessed that a greeting like that would not be adequate. Tifa stepped aside and Cloud went and sat down at the table. Tifa went and sat down in the seat facing him.

"I'm glad you came over" Tifa said smiling at him, Cloud's cold expression did not change.

"I have already forgiven Sephiroth, forgiving you will be harder as I have known you much longer" Cloud said, it seemed that he had picked up Vincent's old habit of speaking coldly.

"I know, I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't forgive me" Tifa said "But I'm asking you to just hear me out" Cloud nodded

"Alright then, explain away" Cloud told her

"When I took Sephiroth to the forest of the Ancients, that was not what I'd had in mind, it was just a part of his training" Tifa explained "We were just kidding around and it went way too far" Cloud did not seem to be buying the story.

"It was just…an accident" Tifa finished. Cloud's eyes locked on hers. Cloud took one of Tifa's hands in his own.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully forgive you, but I can try" Cloud told her before he got to his feet and left the house.

So that is how it went, Sephiroth's rehabilitation. He had his parents back together and living in his home _and_ a loud-ninja girlfriend. Cloud and Tifa remained apart for a few months but it was inevitable that they got back together. Barrett and Marlene were reunited back in Midgar. Cid and Shera finally married and Cid stopped ordering her about, the smoking and swearing thoroughly continued though. Nanaki remained in their home and began to teach Sephiroth about the planet and the stars.

Just like they say in those happy, feel-good movies; a happy ever after.

I don't like those films…so everything worked out well, maybe not forever but for now you can remain safe in the knowledge that everything is right for them.

_**!R&R!**_


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